


A Blurred Line

by WhiteWolfCub (SilverWolfCub)



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: But no, Character Death, Dark, Death, Escape the Room but Deadly, Gen, Gotta Figure it out, Gremlin Child to the rescue, High School, Horror, Hurt!everyone, Hurt/Comfort, I need a nap, It's all a bit mindfuck-y, Kidnapping, Kinda, Maybe if Wilbur didn't act like the needy middle child he'd be the oldest, Mystery, Phil is there too, Superpowers, Tommy knows something is up, Tubbo is there too, Tubbo not included, Violence, and he only has three to begin with, he's got powers what will he do?, he's worried cause he's suddenly two kids short, kinda x2, kinda x3, no beta we die like men, nothing makes sense, some nice mindfuckery to brighten your day, there's a lot of kinda’s here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 31,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27821077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWolfCub/pseuds/WhiteWolfCub
Summary: Nothing is as it seems.The ground is cold and hard, made up of some type of grey concrete or tile. The entire place was freezing, actually, and Dream groaned, sitting up. He’s pretty sure he fell asleep on the ride to wherever their group was heading to. Were they going to the city? He doesn’t remember.He does know, though, that they weren’t heading to wherever he was now.Locked in a place designed to kill them, they have to find their way out and back to their families. The real question is, why did they do this to them?
Comments: 164
Kudos: 345
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no I did it again. This story, Run Boy Run, and Gods and Admins all came from me having a weird dream, waking up, saying ‘that’s not physically possible’ and then changing it so it was and making a story out of it. Literally curse sleeping, I don’t need you anyway. Also I’ve never written anything horror/suspense/mystery before, but I do so love my angst, so bare with me.

The ground is cold and hard, made up of some type of grey concrete or tile. The entire place was freezing, actually, and Dream groaned, sitting up. He’s pretty sure he fell asleep on the ride to wherever their group was heading to. Were they going to the city? He doesn’t remember.

He does know, though, that they weren’t heading to wherever he was now.

He blinked, looking around. Wherever they were, the place was _huge,_ with a tall ceiling and a room so wide he felt like he could run forever and not reach the other side. An outdoor courtyard sat in the middle, encased in glass and turning the room outside it into a hallway of sorts. There were other people as well, he recognized most of them from his school. His friends were there, even the ones from other grades- wasn’t this a senior only trip?

“We aren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto.” He heard the monotone voice of Techno before he saw the other senior sit up. The other teen’s face twisted in confusion, eyes locking with something. Someone. “Wilbur, why are you here?”

“Where is here?” He heard the other boy say, and yeah, why was he here? Wilbur was, like, two years under him. He only knew about the guy because he was Techno’s brother and he and George had this weird friendship going on that he couldn't bother to explain. Speaking of George, his best friend was waking up next to him. His other best friend was on his other side, still deep asleep. 

_What was going on?_

“Any idea where we are?” He heard Eret speak up, the only one standing in the crowd of sleeping high schoolers. “This isn’t the museum.”

Oh yeah, they were going to a museum. Maybe this place was better. He hates museums, they're always so boring and the curators always skip the fun sections.

He got up, brushing himself off and helping George up. There were a few other people he recognized in the pile of sleeping figures- Niki and Fundy being the only ones he ever really talked to. George was kicking Sapnap awake, and the latter was cussing sleepily at him.

"I don't really remember falling asleep." Techno muttered, catching his eye. He's known the other boy since elementary, a year or so after he met George. The other kid saw him on the monkey bars swinging around and suddenly decided that he could do them faster and cooler. Dream, of course, showed him up. Then Techno aced the next test, and Dream aced the one after that, and suddenly they were rivals, always trying to one up each other. Dream usually excelled in athletic abilities while Techno schooled him in academics, but every now and then they'd beat each other in their own game. At first he was annoyed, but by middle school the rivalry turned friendly. 

"Maybe we stopped here to rest?" Fundy spoke up, awake and rubbing his head. The other kids were all waking up as well, ignoring the small group Dream and his friends had formed.

"Why would we do that?" George asked the younger male. While his group, Techno, and Eret were seniors, Wilbur and his friends (Niki and Fundy) were all two years younger. "It's only a two hour trip to the city, and we left at, like, four."

"Why are they here, anyway?" Sapnap, finally awake, yawned. "Did you invite your whole family, Techno?"

The guy in question snorted. "Tommy's not even in high school yet."

So the gremlin wasn't here. Tubbo probably wouldn't be here either. 

Wherever here was.

"We probably just got here late and-" Wilbur scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I got nothing. _Where the fuck are we?"_

Niki, who had been really quiet, spoke up tentatively. "This place is kind of creepy." She looked at them all, voicing something Dream had been trying to ignore. "Do you think we were kidnapped or something?"

"No way." Fundy exclaimed. "There's, like, a hundred of us here! They couldn't take us all- besides, we would remember that happening."

Would they? His memory seemed to be failing him right now, because while he knew there was a field trip he couldn't actually remember getting on the bus for it.

"No." He finally spoke up, drawing their attention. "There's definitely something weird going on here-" he paused, frowning as his hands shifted through his hoodie pocket. "-where's my phone?"

There was a shuffle as everyone looked for their phones and came up empty. Okay, panic time was coming up if they didn't figure out exactly what was happening here _right now._ Dream racked his brain for anything that could help, but it felt like an entire _chunk_ of memories were missing. And not just the ones from right before, but all around his life. It was like someone went through the dictionary and only deleted words with a 'q' in them, pinpoint erasure of _something_ but he has no clue as to what it actually was.

"Yeah, we were definitely kidnapped." Techno's voice was still it's leveled monotone, but after so long he could tell the other senior was tense, shifting towards his brother. He nodded at something behind Dream. "Adults, six o'clock."

Dream spun around to see a few men in what looked to be nurse uniforms standing in front of them all. The man in the middle smiled. "Nice to see that you're all awake." His teeth were rotten. "Now the fun can finally begin."

Dream wanted to speak up, demand to know where they were, but his lips felt sealed shut, and he didn't know why. He's sure the others felt the same way.

What was going on?!

"Kids like video games, right?" One man whispered to the other, who nodded. He nodded to himself, as if confirming it. "This is a game of life or death, so take it seriously." The man chuckled at his own horrid joke. "Your goal? Simple, all you have to do is get out. If you fail? You die."

_What?_

What was this utter bullshit? Dream wanted to speak up, to protest, but the invisible thing around his mouth kept him quiet. They had _actually_ been kidnapped, hadn't they? They were in the hands of a crazy madman with fetishes for murder and who knows what. This was terrible, oh god please tell him this isn’t _happening-_

"Now, if you would all check your right arms, you'll recognize something new." Almost against his will he pulled up his hoodie sleeve. To his horror, there was a tattoo of some sorts there now. The first thing he noticed were big blocky words on his pulse, '243'. A little bit lower was a box with a check mark, the same number underneath it in smaller writing. H-How? How did they-? "Now, I'll explain the single rule of this game. There are two different modes that this building can enter- a good mode, and a bad mode. When checked, it's in the good mode, and nothing will jump out to attack you. When the box is unchecked, though, your free game. Each person can check or uncheck the box by touching it, but beware." His eyes scanned over the scared crowd of kids. He grinned. "While you can uncheck the box infinitely, you can check the box only once. Once you've done it, it's gone, you can't do it again."

So while anyone could put this place into quote on quote 'bad mode' at any time, each person can only switch it back once? He really hopes none of the kids here were sociopathic dickwads. But, if he was honest, he didn’t believe a single word any of them were saying. 

This was absolute _madness._

His arm didn’t hurt though. He’s never really thought much about tattoos, but he knows they hurt. How could someone tattoo them all and not leave any pain behind. And what was this about checking and unchecking boxes? _It's a tattoo._

"What about the numbers?" Someone finally spoke up, and Dream didn't know how they did it.

"Ah, yes, those. The bigger set of numbers show how many people are still alive." The man grinned, enjoying the tense silence that overcame them. "The smaller number shows off how many people still have their check available. If someone dies before they use their check, then that check becomes unavailable. Lastly, that wall over there?" He nodded towards the wall closest to them, slick with a cool grey color. "It's a safe zone, if you're touching it."

Almost immediately kids were scrambling up, running towards the wall in terror. Someone grabbed Dream and hauled him up, and they darted towards the wall. The person holding him, Sapnap, leaned his back against the wall and slid down it. Dream was tempted to join him.

"They disappeared." Wilbur murmured, and Dream turned around to see that indeed, the group of adults had disappeared in their mad run for anything remotely safe at the moment. They all stood in silence, panting from the short run and staring off into the space the men had just been.

_What were they doing?_

"Come on!" Dream pushed himself off the wall. "This is bullshit! Like, did you _hear_ them? All we have to do is get out? Changing tattoos? I don't believe it."

"Don't be an idiot." George snapped, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him back to the wall. "Even if some of it isn't true, they still _kidnapped us._ This isn't the time!"

Dream rolled his eyes, brushing his hair out of his face. "It's still stupid." He looks around and catches sight of a pedestal a bit away from the wall. "What's a bird fountain doing inside?"

He leaves the wall again, ignoring his friends’ concerned hisses and checking it out. What? He’s a fast runner and no one will be able to sneak up on him. If there really is a ‘bad mode’ to this place what does it really entail? This entire situation was utter shit- he feels like he’s in a terrible tv show. A hundred kids locked in a large building with things coming to kill them? _Stupid._

The basin of the fountain is empty, but on the inside are multiple symbols that made no sense to him. He hears someone hiss in irritation before Techno is suddenly next to him, studying the symbols. "These aren't normal."

Of course the only other one to leave the wall is him. He couldn't let his rival be braver than him, could he? "I don't recognize-"

The ground shook as a thump echoed through the area. They both froze as another vibrated the ground. The thumps picked up speed, and Dream glanced down at his arm.

The box was unchecked.

The thumps got louder, and his fear got the better of him. He ran, pushing Techno forward to restart the frozen teen. They both hit the wall at the same time, gasping for breath as the thumping turned the corner.

_A monster._

It looked like a man, but no man was that big, no man had that kind of muscle. He was over 8 feet tall, at least 6 feet wide. He lumbered forward, feet echoing on the ground as he stomped pass, going on some predetermined path before turning the corner and going out of sight.

It was quiet for a moment.

 _"Who unchecked the box?!"_ Wilbur almost roared, angrier than Dream's ever heard him. The kids around him shrunk back, and Niki placed a hand on his arm in comfort.

"Oh, we forgot to mention." The men _appeared_ in front of them, and what? How- "We can _also_ uncheck the box. Keep that in mind."

They vanished just as they came, and _how were they doing that?_ There was a tingle at the base of his wrist, and he looked to see that the box again had a check in it, and the number below had gone down by one. Dream wandered who used their check so early- he's _definitely_ saving his own. "It's checked again."

Okay… maybe this wasn’t complete and utter bullcrap. Maybe they had been kidnapped by supernatural entities or something. Whatever was going on, he didn’t like it. Not at all.

"That pedestal had symbols in it." Techno said. "They seemed important- I doubt we'll just be able to walk out the front doors, considering there aren’t any. This might be a puzzle."

Someone in their group, probably Sapnap, groaned. Dream ignored his oldest friend. "I got a good look at them- I can memorize them real quick."

"No, we can't rely on one person remembering." Techno crossed his arms. He didn’t say why, and for a second Dream was confused before he remembered that _they could die in here._ "There were six symbols, I think. How about six of us remember one of them each, in alphabetical order according to our names. It's easier."

Dream stared at him. "Is this how you do so well in history?"

"A man never reveals his greatest secrets."

With that decided, they all looked over to the pedestal, before checking their arms. It was still checked, and the other students seemed too fearful to do much besides watch them and tremble. If they were quick about it, they could be there and back in no time.

They just had to hope no one unchecked the box.

They wouldn’t uncheck it immediately after it was checked, right? There had to be a cooldown timer or something, right?

Dream left the wall first, the other seven following close behind. With Wilbur and Techno's name being the ones at the end, they weren't getting symbols to memorize, and were instead checking the pedestal for any other clue. He’s pretty sure Techno was memorizing them all anyway, the hypocrite he was.

Dream still couldn't really believe this was happening. Like seriously, what the fuck? He has places to be, a brother to take care of! He doesn't have _time_ for this!

He looked at the first symbol, something that looked like an open box- /[]\\. Committing that to memory, he stared at it until he saw it in the back of his eyelids whenever he blinked. Eret had the next one, followed by Fundy, George, Niki, and finally Sapnap. 

"These don't make any sense." The latter mumbled. "Are they all made up?"

"They could be." Niki whispered, eyes darting about. "In case they thought we might understand them from background knowledge."

"Is there any reasoning to the order?" Wilbur asked, stepping forward and looking inside. He traced a carving with his finger. "Is this, like, the key to something further down the road?"

He still thinks they're thinking too far into this, and he _really_ hopes that it was all just a _really_ high budget prank.

That all changed when someone grabbed his wrist.

He was yanked back, and a short scream left his mouth before he was pushed to the ground. He caught himself, and a quick glance at his arm confirmed the worse.

The box had been unchecked.

He struggled, twisting his head to see who was holding him. It was some random man in a nurse uniform, a long syringe held in his hand. "You left your room without permission."

"What?" Dream heard more grunts and sounds of struggle, and turned to see his friends in a similar position to him. He winced as the syringe was pushed into his arm. "Who are you? Where are we?"

"You've forgotten again? We're in the Kiln." The man said, and Dream's eyes started to drop, heavy. He could see the other kids, pressed up to the wall in fear, watching with wide eyes. "The best asylum for the clinically insane."

  
  
  


"You sure we got the right ones?"

"Positive." A man replied, chill as his coworker fretted beside him. "We got this data right from the source. I know the man who stole the information personally. He got the right intel."

"Ok…" he didn't sound convinced, but went on nonetheless. "He confirmed that at least two of them are registered?"

"At least." He affirmed, nodding. "This went about as smooth as I could hope for. Tell the lower levels they can go ahead and start the tests."

"Yes, sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be on Mondays or Fridays. Here we go again…  
> Also I’m usually not opposed to shipping but in this story they’re all underage so -_- I’m watching y'all. Speaking of, the seniors of the group (Dream, George, Samsung Galaxy Smartphone X, Techno, and Eret) are all in their last year of American (I can’t do any other type, the only things I know about other schools is from what I learned in Harry Potter) high school and they’re all 17. The sophomores (Wilbur, Fundy, and Niki) are in their second year of high school and they’re 15, because don’t we love mentally traumatizing the youth! Oh, and the gremlin’s 12 btw. Tubbo too.  
> Lastly, when you think of that monster man, think of that old mutant zombie mod that the Yogscast played around with and named Bort. It looks like that but not green.


	2. Chapter 2

Life could be much better right now.

He was, thankfully, asleep for most of it, but every now and then he'd wake up to  _ agony, _ seared into his skin like a brand, electricity running through his fingertips as they prodded, shocked, and just generally messed with him. His body was filled up with more chemicals then on the periodic table, and each one made him want to throw up and die, before doing it all over again.  _ There were so many needles, _ poking and prodding and digging in and each one adding to his pain.

Not fun.

At some point when he went under again the next time he woke up it was all gone. Everything ached, down to his bones. It felt like he couldn't move even if he wanted to, but he  _ had _ to try. His fingers brushed against a padded floor, and he opened his eyes, confused.

The entire room was padded, and if he was in a straightjacket he'd feel like he's in an asylum.

_ This is the Kiln. The best asylum for the clinically insane. _

_ Oh fuck. _

He scrambled up, panicking now. His muscles tensed and ached and a jolt of _something_ ran through him. What had they put in him?! He stumbled, making his way to the door, which was locked, of course. Not even 10 minutes into this hellhole and he was already trapped and filled up with stuff that can't be good for his health.

_ Fuck fuck FUCK! _

He couldn't stay in here! He had to get out! He had family to get back to, a brother to take care of! Where were George and Sapnap?? Where were the others??? He slammed a hand into the door, but all it did was hurt himself. Wincing at the self inflicted pain, he fell to the floor, hitting that instead with his fist.

_ He had to get out. _

Where were his friends? Had they been subjected to the same thing he had to deal with? He sincerely hopes not, but something tells him he wasn't unique in that circumstance. Why was this even happening?! What did they do to deserve it!?  _ What was going on? _

_ Why would someone kidnap a group of kids and stick them in an insane asylum? _

_ Why would the nurses believe they were patients? _

_ Why would the nurses fill their patients up with so many chemicals that it felt like torture? _

His body ached, and he suddenly realized he was exhausted. There was nothing he could do, was there? He was trapped until someone came to get him, probably to do more chemical  _ experiments. _ The thought of going back to sleep was a comfort, but it also felt like giving up.

He didn't get to choose, since his tired body chose for him.

He woke up to a loud sliding noise.

_ The doors. _

He raised his bleary head, blinking when he saw the doors open slowly. He backed up, waiting for people to show up and drag him back to wherever they torture people was, but no one appeared.

His curiosity got the better of him, and he slowly stepped forward, poking his head out of the door. He was in a hallway lined with opening doors. No personal was in sight.

Who opened the doors then?

He put that thought to the side, going to the next open door and poking a head inside. "George!"

Without thinking he jumped his friend, pulling him into a hug. His body protested it, as did George, but Dream didn't care, he was  _ safe. _

"Don't leave me out!" He heard Sapnap appear behind them and felt him collide with their bodies. Pain flared through his own but he ignored it, too happy that  _ they were here _ to care. "Are you guys okay?"

"Besides being heavily drugged up, fine." George grumbled, resting his head on Dream's shoulder in exhaustion. Dream was still tired himself. They couldn't stay here, through, Dream couldn't imagine going through  _ that _ again.

"The others are out too." Sapnap mumbled, and Dream disentangled himself from them reluctantly. "Who let us out?"

"No clue." George replied, pulling himself up. 

They made their way outside, where the others were. Eret and Fundy were murmuring softly to each other while Wilbur was hugging Niki. Techno leaned against the wall, face stoney. "Can I assume we all went through the same treatment a few hours ago?"

He shuddered at the memory. The others wilted.  _ The needles. _ "I think so. Who let us out?"

No one could answer, as they heard people coming their way. Dream locked eyes with several different friends. They didn't have to speak to know what to do next.

They all turned and ran.

The group passed by multiple closed doors, all containing someone wearing a straitjacket stuck in a padded cell. Dream passed by a storage room before stuttering to a stop, opening the storage room door. "In!"

His friends didn't hesitate, jumping in and he closed the door behind him, locking it. After a minute or so they heard people pass them by. When he could no longer hear them Dream sighed, sliding down the door. His friends panted for breath.

That's when he realized the storage closet didn't look like a storage closet.

Yes, it had the shelves and cleaning supplies, but there was also a large couch that took up most of one wall and a kitchen counter in the back, bags of snacks covering it. There was even a connected bathroom. "What the…"

"Is it just me-" Sapnap started, looking around. "-or does this look kinda like a safe room? Like, from a video game. People can log off in those without worrying about enemies spawning in."

No one disagreed with him there. Didn't that guy at the beginning say something about a video game? Did they intentionally make this like a video game?

"Look at this!" Wilbur was near the kitchen counter. He pushed away a few rags to reveal a symbol carved into the wall. Underneath it, the word 'safe' was scrawled in chicken scratch. "Who had this symbol?"

"I did." Dream spoke up, recognizing the /[]\\. "I thought it was a box at first, but if this is a safe room then maybe it's a house instead. Like, a safe house symbol or something. Or a box full of supplies, maybe."

George snorted. "That'd be great, if we were in a video game and we went by video game laws."

"I mean, this is a game, right?" Niki asked quietly. "That's what they said…"

"You think they made this into a video game of some type?" Techno asked, sitting back at the edge of the coach. "And this is a break room? Where you would log off if you're done playing for the day?"

"Something like that." Dream murmured, poking around and looking through the shelves and boxes, curious. "It was the first symbol on the pedestal, and it was the first place we found. Also, there's blankets in this box."

He pulled the box off the shelf. Multiple blankets and pillows were packed inside.

"Ok, this is  _ definitely _ a safe room." Fundy crossed his arms. "It's part of the game, I guess, but why would they be so nice? They were experimenting on us like, twenty minutes ago, and now we have a designated safe room with everything we could need? I don't get it."

"Me neither." Eret looked around, finding paper and pencils laying around in another box. "Here, everyone who had a symbol write it down."

Dream takes his paper, drawing the safe symbol and placing it in the front. Everyone else drew their symbol, and something caught his eye. "Wait-" he pointed to Sapnap's symbol, ¢*}. "-I saw that. It was in the rooms with the guys in the straitjackets."

"Ok, so that could mean three things." Wilbur rubbed his hands together, metaphorically putting on a thinking cap. "Either they are allies, enemies, or not important to the 'game story'."

"The guys who stabbed us full of needles didn't have this symbol." Eret murmured. "So I don't think it's for allies or enemies. My guess is that they aren't important. These symbols seem to be guides for us to use to get around this place."

"Wait." George spoke up. "Does that mean we weren't supposed to be caught, or that we were? Was that a part of this sick 'game', or was that why the doors opened?"

Dream didn’t know. He didn’t want to figure it out, either. He just wanted  _ out. _ Wanted his friends to be out of here and  _ safe. _

“I really can’t be bothered right now.” Fundy flopped against the couch, groaning in pain. “Everything hurts.”

Everyone felt his sentiment. Whatever they had put in him felt like fire flowing through his veins, he hated it with a passion. He sat down next to the younger teen, covering his eyes with a hand. The couch sank as everyone else slowly joined them.

Everyone but Eret, who was shuffling back and forth, taking paper and tearing it into smaller pieces, scribbling on all of them. After a second, he gave them all a piece of paper, little scribbles written into it in a column.

‘ _ /[]\ = Safe room, {¥` = N/A, √:| = N/A, °-¶ = N/A, ∆° = N/A, ¢*}= Not important?’ _

“These are the symbols.” Dream murmured, staring at his paper before looking at the bigger versions underneath. “We should probably figure out what the other ones mean.”

“Did anyone see anything on the fountain that could’ve told us?” Wilbur asked, and no one answered. Dream doubted anyone wanted to go back there either. It made a shiver go up his spine just at the thought. He stood up suddenly, hoping that this place had something to drink too. He felt like he was going to throw up.

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy, Wilbur.” Techno’s voice was deeper and softer before, laced with a mix of concern and protectiveness, and Dream felt bad for his rival. This sucked, but at least his own brother wasn’t stuck in here with them. He couldn’t begin to imagine how he felt. “This place was probably created by a psychopath.”

“But why us?” Sapnap cut in, and Dream caught sight of water bottles behind the food. He started pushing them to the side when his hand bumped against something. Curious, he picked it up. “Out of everyone, why kidnap a school of kids? Don’t they know the police will be all over them soon?!”

“They’re cocky.” Niki said softly, curling into herself. Wilbur placed an arm around her shoulder. “They think they won’t be caught.”

The question was, why?

“Is anyone else’s memory blanking?” Fundy spoke up, rubbing his head. “I feel like parts of my memory is blocked or something.”

“It might be whatever those drugs did to us.” Wilbur winced, tensing as his body jerked in delayed pain. “A side effect or something.”

“Uh, guys?” Dream called out, catching their attention. He raised his arm, hand holding a small box. It was completely black besides a golden square with a four digit code. He flipped it over, revealing one of the symbols. ∆° “This was hiding in the snack pile.”

“Great.” George murmured, getting up to look at it. “Now we have to find a code  _ and _ get out!”

“They’re probably related.” Techno murmured, eyes locking with Dream before sighing. “This is starting to seem a lot like a big escape the room puzzle.”

The room soured at that analogy, and not just because Dream’s sure none of them have ever done an escape the room puzzle before. The fact that someone could do this to innocent people made him feel sick to his stomach. They were teenagers, for god sake! What did these people want? To see them suffer? Why??

Or was there something else they were missing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gremlin alert in next chapter


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gremlin is suspicious

_ Breaking News! _

_ ‘Multiple high school students went missing last Friday after a freak accident by the school football field. While the police suspect no foul play, they ask you to be on the lookout for these individuals, all underage.’ _

Tommy grumbled to himself, stomping on the sidewalk as he made his way back home. He had stayed after school to ask around and see if anyone's heard of anything yet.

Two days had already past, and neither of his brothers had reappeared yet.

He understood Techno disappearing for a day- he'd lock himself in his room or at the library, studying, or he'd go to the school gym on a weekend just to lift weights or some stupid shit to beat his 'rival'. He was used to not seeing Techno for a day or two at times, but he always told Phil when he'd do something like that, and Wilbur wasn't the type to disappear off the map before coming back randomly. He adored attention, would scream and shout for it if he could. Not to mention that they weren't the only ones missing.

So yes, he stayed behind and asked around the middle school for any information anyone could give him, and  _ no, _ it  _ wasn't  _ because he was worried.  _ No way. _ No, he was actually just pissed. Yeah, that was it. He wasn't worried, just upset that they left him to deal with mom and dad all by himself. How's he supposed to gremlin out if he didn't have anyone to cover for him? It's no fun if he just gets grounded.

So his school was a complete bust- no one knew anything and all anyone wanted to do was coddle him. The teachers were lightening his workload (which,  _ yes, _ but not the point-) and his friends were treating him and Tubbo like touchy bombs. He was sick and tired of it. All anyone ever said was that they were 'rowdy rebellious high schoolers' and that 'they'd come back in their own time' like Tommy didn't know  _ his own brothers. _ Well, news flash,  _ he did, _ and this wasn't normal.

They couldn't just be  _ missing. _

There's no way  _ four _ registered kids (out of the six registered kids in their entire town) all go missing at the same time, even if they all were friends. They wouldn't do that. Not them.

They would've told him if they were going to disappear like this, but they didn't. They didn't tell him or Phil, and while his dad said not to worry  _ he was worrying _ because this wasn't like them!

He growled to himself, muttering lowly and fixing the straps on his backpack. He wants to take it off and throw it down the street, because  _ who cares about school Techno and Wilbur are missing- _ but he didn't. It wouldn't help anyone.

"Excuse me, young man."

Tommy paused at the voice, turning around to see three men in dark clothes walking up to him. Now, he may be extremely obtuse but he's not an idiot. He knows what stranger danger means, he just normally ignores it, because you gotta make friends somehow. This time, though, something about the men made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Yeah?"

"Do you happen to be the family of one of the missing kids?" The middle man asked, and yes, Tommy was just asking around, but that was to people he knew. How did these guys find out about it? "If so, we have some questions we'd like to ask you."

"Well-" Tommy, for once, didn't know what to say. Yes? No? What missing kids? All terrible options, in his opinion. "Uh, you know I'm only 12 and they taught me  _ a lot _ about stranger danger in school so I think I'm just gonna go fellas-"

He turned and ran away.

Why did he run? Why didn't he just play it cool? Say no and continue on with his search? Because now they were  _ chasing him, _ because obviously he was who they were looking for and Tommy's pretty sure this has something to do with his brothers' disappearance.

He skidded around a corner, his backpack pulling his weight and making him almost fall. His shoes slapped against the pavement and he suddenly wished he was more athletic than he actually was. He should take up basketball or something, something to keep him in shape for whenever someone was  _ chasing after him. _

It happens much more than someone would normally think it would.

They didn't let up, but Tommy is small and fast and he knew the town like the back of his hand. Ducking through an alleyway, he shimmed through a corridor too small for a grown person. He took a breath on the other side- it'd take them a while to go around.

After a second of panting, he pumped his fist into the air. He  _ knew _ something was going on! He was right!

Which meant that Techno and Wilbur were actually in trouble.

_ Oh… _

He cursed, trying to think. He needed to get home and tell Phil what was happening, but what if they went after the families of other missing children? While he wasn't close to all of the missing kids, the ones he did know well were only child’s.

All except for one.

Time to make a pitstop at Tubbo's house. He closed his eyes and focused on going unnoticed.

When the men finally found his hiding spot he was gone, even though none of them had seen him leave.

  
  


Tommy didn't bother knocking, slamming open Tubbo's front door before locking it behind him. Tubbo appeared from the kitchen, crumbs of bread littering his face. "I just had the  _ best _ grilled cheese sandwich ever, you don't even know-"

"Not now!" Tommy wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "I was right!"

"You were- oh." Tubbo's eyes flashed with hidden emotion as he figured out what Tommy meant. He sighed. "Tommy-"

"No Tubbo, it's true!" Tommy cut him off again. "Some strange men just tried to, like,  _ grab _ me off the streets or something. They asked about Techno and Wilbur."

"What?!" Grilled cheese forgotten, Tubbo scanned his best friend, worry marring their features. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Does Phil know? Why are you here and not at home?!"

"I had to get you!" Tommy replied, looking around. Tubbo's home was almost always empty, since only he and Dream consistently lived there. Their parents were always traveling for work, so they usually had the place to themselves. "I called Phil, and he agreed with me! Dad didn't disclose Wilbur and Techno's names to the news since they were only missing and nothing else, so how would they know I was their brother? If they know about me, they definitely know about you and Dream!"

Since Tubbo's parents were basically MIA, the news broadcasted Dream's face as one of the only names they could legally put on air. Only one other parent let their child's name be disclosed.

Tubbo's eyes widened as there was a knock on the door. "Oh crap."

That was a swear in 12-year-old Tommy's mind. That meant this was serious. "Back door!" He hissed, pulling Tubbo with him.

"But my stuff!" Tubbo turned back towards the stairs, which led up to his room. 

"You have clothes at my house!" Tommy tugged him back towards the backyard, and Tubbo struggled one more time to grab his phone before following. They ran to the back, scrambling over the short fence into a neighbor's yard. Tommy pointed to a piece of fence that was crooked, leaving just enough wiggle room for them to squeeze through, out into the road. "There!"

They ran towards it as the men from before appeared, coming out of Tubbo's house. One saw them and pointed, shouting. Tommy let out a short panicked scream, going through the fence first. In his hassle he knocked the fence piece back in position, blocking Tubbo from leaving. "Tubbo!"

"Don't worry about it!" Tubbo glanced back at the men, who were now hopping the fence, right behind them. Suddenly, the broken fence piece swung up, revealing the open space again. Tubbo dove through it, and the fence piece swung back down, covering it again, like an invisible force had moved it for him. The men shouted as Tommy grabbed his friend's hand, and together they ran.

When they make it back to Tommy's Phil is waiting, arms crossed in a look of sternness mixed with worry. Tommy tried grinning. "Hey dad. Did mom make cookies?"

"You, sir, have  _ a lot _ to explain." Phil snapped, before smiling at Tubbo. "Hi Tubbo."

"Hi!" Tubbo grinned back. "Actually, Phil, I don't think it was Tommy's fault, this time."

"Oh?" Phil arched an eyebrow as Tommy sputtered next to him. "Do tell, because when my son called me all he said was that some men were chasing him and he was going to yours." He leveled a look at Tommy, and while most parents would be worried about a statement like that for Phil it was pretty normal. Tommy would annoy someone, they'd get their older siblings to get revenge or do it themselves, and then Tommy would, of course, call them thugs and rant about it to anyone who would listen. Sometimes he'd drag Techno to school with him whenever he had taken something too far the day before, genuinely fearful for his health. Tommy knew he was an annoyance, and he thrived off it. That didn't mean it was always easy sailing, though.

"Really!" Tubbo replied, explaining. "I think he's onto something about the missing people. Some guys just showed up at my house, the same ones that chased Tommy earlier."

"They were asking about Techno and Wilbur, Phil!" Tommy exclaimed. "I know you didn't let the media give out names, how would they know?!"

Phil's face had gone from half worried to full blown anxiety. "That's…" he murmured. "That's not good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon, Tubbo’s (& Dream’s but mostly Tubbo’s) dad is the Captain (Jardon, of course) and he’s always out exploring which is why the sleepy bois found Tubbo on the side of the road and decided to keep him (their mom is this video’s sponsor, and they have an aunt named Ianite).


	4. Chapter 4

“Nothing in here!”

Dream slapped the back of Sapnap’s head in warning. “Be a little louder, why don’t you?”

“Really.” George agreed, looking outside the padded cell and around the hallway. “What if they hear you?”

After a break in the storage room, they had all split off into groups to check out the hallway. They hoped that since they found the box on this floor that the code for the box would be on the same floor.

They’ve had no luck so far. Dream, Sapnap, and George had been tasked with going through the empty padded cells, which were exactly that. Empty. The only thing they all had was a symbol etched into the back wall- ¢*}, or the ‘not important’ symbol. Besides that, nothing, and they stayed away from occupied cells entirely.

He's starting to hate this place more than he did before. It really _ did _ remind him of a horror game- the main character stuck in an old asylum with insane enemies. They even had the same decor- dark grey walls that seemed to absorb light, leaving a dark, almost greenish light behind. Unlike the video games, though, the place was still well taken care of, which set for a weird stage. Dream's head was going back and forth between feeling like he's in a hospital and thinking he's about to die.

“I hope the others found something.” Sapnap grumbled. Wilbur, Techno, and Niki had grouped up to check out the other rooms on the other end of the hall, and Fundy and Eret were trying to map out the floor. Hopefully, each story of this building had a similar floor plan. Dream doubted it but he was hopeful nonetheless. “My new question is, who’s in on this?”

George frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, this is an insane asylum, right?” Sapnap looked around, confusion splashed on his face. “If it’s worth anything, then the employees here should notice the fact that there’s a  _ monster _ downstairs and kidnapped kids roaming around.”

Dream blinked. “Are you saying this entire place is in on it?”

Well  _ duh, _ why hadn't he thought of that before?

“Niki said that they probably think they aren’t going to get caught, right?” Sapnap continued. “Well if this really is a ‘respected insane asylum’ then the police either wouldn’t look here or the people here can cover it up.”

“Yeah, but it’s an _ insane asylum.” _ Dream snorted. “That’s like, horror movie trope number 1.”

“But this isn't a movie, Dream.” George whispered, fear flashing in his eyes. “This is real life.”

The thought was sobering, and Dream suddenly wanted to run back to the storage room and never come out. If he was ‘safe’ in there, how long would it last? How long would the food last? It was mostly snacks, with no real meals to live off of, so not long.

Speaking of, how were they going to eat? Was there a kitchen or some place where they could eat? Was it safe? All of this was giving Dream a headache, he hated it. “Lets just… meet back up with the others.”

They found Fundy and Eret first, who were coming back, both holding maps with roughly drawn floor plans on them. “We just passed the others.” Eret explained. “They didn’t find anything.”

“Damn.” Dream muttered, glancing at the floor plan. “Did you find out how many floors there are in this place?”

“At least 13.” Fundy replied. “There’s stairs that go up and we’re on the 12th floor now, but we didn't go up to check anymore. We do, though, have some news.”

“Oh?” George looked curious. “Well then, please do enlighten us. I’d like out of this hellhole sooner rather than later.”

“There were symbols by the staircase.” Eret pointed to his picture. The stairs going down symbol had {¥`, while the stairs going up were ∆°. The same symbol that was on the box (which was in Wilbur’s possession). “I think the triangle symbol with the circle means something like ‘important’, since we have a symbol that means ‘not important’, but I’m not sure what that Y slashed bracket  _ thing _ is. I think it’s currency, maybe, but I doubt it’s supposed to mean money in this circumstance.”

“We’ll just have to check both ways.” Dream figured, placing a hand on his chin. He checked his arm. The box was checked, it had been for an hour or so now. None of them had used their checks yet, but since this whole thing started the number's changed from 243 to 196. Around 50 people have already used their checks, which means either the box was being unchecked frequently or they had been out for longer than they expected. "The box has been checked for a long time, now…"

He didn’t bring up the fact that the big 243 number had gone down to 229. Some kids had died. He couldn’t believe it. He  _ didn't _ believe it. Even with the monster, the  _ needles, _ he drew the line at death. It was just a scare tactic, though he had no clue why.

"Don't jinx us.” Sapnap hit his shoulder. "Besides, we're right next to the storage closet."

"The others aren't." Fundy pointed out, worried about his best friends. He, Wilbur, and Niki were close, being the only sophomores in their group. It makes sense for him to be worried for them. "We should go find them. We can pick them up and then check out the staircase."

Having no other plans, they made their way to where Fundy and Eret had last seen the group. Dream kept looking at his arm, waiting for the tattoo to magically change.

What was even with that?!? It made no sense! Really, how did they get here? Dream's memories seem to get worse every time he tried to think about it. He's positive that he's forgotten more than just that, too. Little pockets of memories were missing, and because he didn't remember what was missing he didn't know how to jog his memory. He didn't know if it was the drugs or if it was something different- something these kidnappers did on purpose.

The box stayed checked their entire way there, from picking up the others to the staircase. Dream looked at the seemingly normal stairs, the only weird thing being the two symbols on each stair. "Well then." He murmured, glancing across his group of friends. "Dare you to go first, Techno."

"I don't feel like dying today, Dream." Techno's tone was dry as Wilbur glared at Dream, even though it was a joke. Maybe now, with the added tension, wasn't the time. "We shouldn't split up between floors anyway."

"It's not like we can do much if they catch us." George muttered, ever the pessimist, but he was never this bad before. Of course the asylum was fucking with him. It was fucking with Dream too. "I mean, we can shout, I guess."

"A plan would be good." Eret murmured. "If they start chasing us, do we go back to the safe room, or the wall downstairs? Are they actually safe? Or is it a lie?"

"No one bothered us on the wall or in the room." Wilbur shrugged. "If these guys are as sadistic as I think, it could just be a ruse."

"Well, we don't really have a choice, do we?" Techno said, going down one step. "Let's check a floor down, figure out what that symbol is, and then go up. Maybe the box code is up a floor."

They made their way downstairs slowly, checking behind them every other step. Tension lined their shoulders, and Dream felt like a live wire- he was one second away from jumping into the ceiling.

They finally made it to the next floor down. Techno (who had still gone first, even after that joke) took one step onto the actual floor and froze.

A door was opening down the hall.

They all froze, staring in fear as a few nurses walked out of the door, followed by a single security member with a  _ gun. _ A gun?! There was a second of silence as the nurses saw them.

"Call security!" One yelled, taking a step towards them. The security guard there raised his gun. "There's members loose in the asylum!"

"Run!" Techno's voice was higher than anything he's ever heard, and the senior turned, grabbing his brother while climbing up the steps. Dream was right behind him, twisting his body and darting back up the stairs. He was the first one back up to the last floor.

_ Shit. _

There were nurses waiting for them.

Well, time to see what that other symbol meant.

“Up another floor!” Dream grabbed Niki, who was about to barrel into the nurses, swinging her to the next set of stairs and following after her. He heard the sound of gunfire. Someone screamed, scared, and Dream checked his arm, ready to check the box that sat there. Luckily, he didn’t need to. They all made it up to the next floor.

Surprisingly, no one followed them.

“Why aren’t they-” Sapnap panted, more out of fear then lack of breath. “-why aren’t they following?”

“I don’t know.” Eret looked into the new hallway. “There’s a new symbol on the wall.”

√:|

“What the hell does that mean?” Wilbur glared at the thing, as done as the rest of them were. Dream wanted to take a break, but the safe room was downstairs in a hallway currently crowded by nurses. If they didn’t hurry, this hallway may gain attention too.

“The stairway sign still goes up.” Techno observed, and Dream twisted around to see that indeed, the sign that shared the same symbol the box had still pointed upstairs.

What did √:| mean then?

George was the one who gained the courage to walk up to the wall first. “Maybe there’s writing on the wall like with the safe room.”

He stretched his feet, balancing on his toes to look up at the engraving.

Something thundered from across the room, where he stood. George turned around, catching eyes with something the rest of them couldn’t see. His eyes widened, and he screamed, jumping away from them. Dream breath caught at the noise.

From another hall, another  _ monster _ appeared, just like the big man from the first floor. It rammed into the wall George just was, destroying the symbol engraved there. George screamed again, and now there was a monster separating him from his friends. “George!”

Dream didn’t think, didn’t hesitate. He  _ ran, _ sprinting past the  _ thing _ and almost colliding with George. His best friend looked at him like he was an idiot, but Dream ignored him, grabbing his wrist and running. There was a second of quiet before thunderous footsteps started chasing after them. He rounded a corner and pulled George along with him. “Come on!”

They left their friends behind, and Dream prayed to god that this corridor looped around, prayed that they’d be able to group back up with their friends. 

They turned another corner and reached a dead end.

Oh no.

Dream spun around, thinking fast. “G-George, we, we gotta-” He was pulling a blank, panic clouding his mind. His breath was picking up, and it wasn’t just from the running. “Uh-”

George pushed him away. “You go over there!” He commanded, and Dream latched onto the voice, scooting over to the corner. “He can’t take us both- we’ll run past him.”

One of them would be attacked though.

For a second, he hoped it wasn’t him. Then he felt guilty and quickly changed his mind. He couldn’t think any further, though, since the monster turned the corner. He roared, rushing towards them. Dream dived to the side, slipping past his gigantic form.

He heard George scream.

_ No. _

His friend was backhanded, thrown into a wall, and he curled into himself at the last minute and bounced off, gasping in pain. The monster slammed into the back wall, almost breaking it. Dream scrambled towards George, grabbing his arms and hauling him up. "Come on-!"

The other senior whimpered in pain, jerking up and staggering forward at Dream's request. They tripped over themselves, trying to run away from the huge man. Going back around the corner, they were lucky to find it empty of everyone besides Sapnap.

The moment his eyes met theirs they filled with relief, right before he saw that George was injured. He darted to the boy's other side, wrapping an arm around his waist in support. They all heard a rumbling growl come from the beast they left behind.

Sapnap was undeterred. "Niki found another safe room." He grunted, pushing them to speed up. "There's one on this floor."

That was all he had to say, coupled with an angry roar starting up behind them. Dream pushed himself harder, and they practically carried George around the next corner. The others came into view, and together they pushed everyone into the storage closet.

Once they were all in and the door was shut they paused, panting for breath. Dream's heart was beating in his ears. The loud rumbling vibrations of the monster's footsteps passed the door before suddenly stopping. He checked his arm.

The box had been checked.

He sighed in relief. "Thank God."

"Well." Techno crossed his arms after a few minutes. The room had been silent in voice, quiet panting and pained gasping echoing around the room. "At least we can figure out a few more symbols."

Dream didn't think that was really all too important right now, but so be it. "We can?"

He nodded. "Obviously the one that was going down the stairs symbolized either danger or going the wrong way. I think it's the latter, since the symbol going upstairs is probably the other side of the same coin, giving it a right way/wrong way feeling, right?"

"I can see that." Eret cut in, hand on chin, and Dream was just trying to catch his breath. He was still supporting George. "Which would mean that other symbol on this floor probably means danger- aka, that monster. Which would mean that the box points in the right direction." He took out a piece of paper and scribbled on it, flipping it go show it to the group.

‘ _ /[]\ = Safe room, {¥` = Wrong way, √:| = Danger, °-¶ = N/A, ∆° = Right way, ¢*}= Not important?’ _

"At least we're getting closer to figuring this out." Niki whispered, searching desperately for anything good. "We'll escape soon."

"If we can stay alive for long enough." Dream muttered, and George shivered from his tone.

He groaned as Dream laid him out on the couch. He was clutching his side, but Dream didn't see any blood. "Is there any medical equipment in here?" He asked, looking around.

"There was a first aid kit in the bathroom in the one downstairs-" Wilbur muttered, disappearing into the bathroom and coming back out with one. "Move over."

Dream arched an eyebrow. "You know first aid?"

"Duh." Wilbur snorted, and while Dream should be offended he felt like he should've already known that. "My mom taught me."

"What?" Fundy frowned. "But your mom isn't a doctor or a nurse."

"Of course she is." Techno waved away the accusation, taking a seat next to his brother. Wilbur removed George's hands from his side, pulling up his shirt. A large purple bruise was forming over the spot. "She goes to the hospital all the time to help heal patients."

"She does?" Dream feels like he should know this, felt like it was important, so why is he drawing a blank? Was it the adrenaline? "Since when?"

"Since forever." Wilbur checked it with a critical eye, hands hovering over the bruise, as if checking something. He  _ did _ look like he knew what he was doing… "Since, uh…" he blinked, eyes fogging up. "Uh, wait, what were we talking about?"

Techno had frozen, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Something about mom, I think."

"You said your mom taught you first aid." Eret supplied, and Wilbur snorted.

"Yeah right." He laughed. "She doesn't know first aid."

"Then how are you doing it right now?"

Wilbur froze and Techno did a double take, as if they both didn't realize they were doing it in the first place. "How do I know what I'm doing?" Wilbur whispered, staring at his hands.

Dream was baffled. Did they…? "Did you guys just see what I did?"

"Yeah, but I don't get it." Sapnap crossed his arms, looking at the two brothers suspiciously. "What just happened? What does it mean?"

"It means someone  _ did _ mess with our memories." Dream explained, and they all froze. He continued, mind going a mile a minute. "They might  _ still _ be messing with them. That lets us know that they can be pretty precise with memory erasure. The question is, what was so important about their mother knowing first aid that these people had to erase it?"


	5. Chapter 5

Half a day or so had passed by the time they came out of the safe room again. It was dark outside, judging by the windows, and even though they had all rested Dream felt about two seconds away from collapse. He was utterly exhausted- he hasn't slept well since he's started this nightmare.

George, luckily, was ending his ordeal with only a bruise. No broken ribs or internal bruising or bleeding. Thank God, they couldn't deal with something else as well. George complained like a bitch about it, but he also wouldn't let them lock him in the storage room for safety.

They go up to the next floor, following the right way symbol. There was another floor above this one, the last floor Dream thinks, but it was hidden behind a locked door.

The right way symbol was carved on the door as well.

"I'm betting this box has a key card or something in it." Wilbur took the box out of his pocket. "And it'll let us upstairs."

"Then hopefully the key code for it is on this floor somewhere." Fundy's head whipped back and forth, nervous, eyes darting around the hallway. "We should see if there's a safe room on this floor first."

Based on their luck, they would need it. 

Dream was thankful for the 'safe rooms', don't get him wrong, but they just made everything slower as well. If they had to keep going non-stop they might've already found out what this fucking place  _ was. _ They might have already gotten out! But then, if any of them got hurt they'd have to deal with it on the go. 

He deliberately didn't look at his arm- he thinks he'd lose it if he did.

Because _ this was real. _ George had gotten  _ hurt, _ he could've _ died. _

George was doing a half limp, trying not to stretch his torso, and while he was good at hiding pain Dream could tell it hurt. They gave him some pain meds, so hopefully they'll kick in soon.

They decided  _ not _ to split up (never again, because that's actually stupid), and look around for the safe room. They never went out of eyesight, and if they had to explore a room they all did, with a few people waiting outside.

This safe room was a little more stacked then the others- bigger too. The thing had a stove and fridge and actual meals while the couch had a pullout bed, discovered by Sapnap messing around. It wasn't big enough for all of them, but they could take shifts and probably get an actual good night's sleep.

The thought of it made his mouth water. He doesn't actually know how long he's been in here- between waking up on the ground floor,  _ the experiments, _ and then the half naps and dozes they've taken in the other safe rooms. It could be a day after, or half a week could've passed.

_ They needed to keep moving. _

_ But he's so tired… _

"How about we finish searching this floor and then come back?" Wilbur suggested, arms crossed and still holding the box. He wasn't the only one completely  _ drained.  _ "That way we can really take a break, without worrying about what else is on this floor."

"Sounds good to me." George stood up from where he and Sapnap were trying to finagle the couch into opening. "But I get dibs on the bed first."

It could fit three or so people, probably, which meant he and Sapnap would also get first dibs on the bed, since they'll sleep in groups and  _ they _ are a group. The other groups will probably be the same as before- no one really cared much, they were all just  _ tired. _ Hopefully when they wake up one of the other groups will have leftover  _ food _ ready, because while he is exhausted he's also  _ starving. _

They weren't made for this. They needed something semi normal, or else they'd lose it. Dream already was. Every time he closed his eyes all he saw were _ needles, _ digging into his skin.

They headed out once again, eyes trained on their arms, where the box had been unchecked. They stayed along the walls, listening for nurses or one of the big monsters. It never seemed to be both, not counting the first floor. He doesn't know if he'd rather deal with the nurses and their  _ needles _ or the gigantic man that could crush him between his fingers.

So many options, so little choices.

"There's a library in here." Eret whispered, opening the creaking door as softly as possible. The place was huge, bigger than his own school library. Bookshelves touched the ceiling and turned the room into a maze of corridors. In the middle of the room was a pedestal. "This looks important."

Dream realized that all of them were thinking the exact same thing he was.  _ Not now. _ Truthfully, none of them wanted to find anything. They wanted to check the floor, find it empty, and then go back and rest in the safe room. They were all hungry, tired, and slowly losing it. It didn't matter how long they paused, without actual food and an actual bed they were breaking down.

Was that… was that what these psychopaths wanted?

"How about we check everything else first." Dream suggested, and he knew by body language that they agreed. "Then we'll take a break and check this place out, hopefully when the box has been rechecked."

It was still empty, sitting innocently on all their arms. He still didn't understand it. The others seemed even more wary about going in with it unchecked.

They left the library for now. Heads were drooping and feet were sluggish as they moved. Dream didn't realize how much the others were falling. They weren't  _ made _ for this. They weren't made to be consistently terrified- fearful for their lives and their friends. They weren't made to go on little sleep and food for days at a time. None of them were made for this- they were  _ kids, _ their bodies weren't  _ prepared _ for this. He already knew this would leave a nasty mental scar, he already shivers whenever he thinks of  _ needles. _ He hated it.

The rest of the floor was empty, of both clues and people. They turned to head back when they heard loud thumps that vibrated along the floor. They all froze.

_ Shit. _

Nevermind, give him the needles, he'd take the needles over that thing!

They scrambled, looking for a room to hide in to suddenly find them all locked. Dream almost growled in frustration, hitting one of the locked doors with his hands. "Fuck!"

"Come on!" Techno grabbed his wrist, pulling him back as the hulking monster rounded the corner, catching sight of them. The other senior pulled them back into the group, which kept on shuffling backwards as the monster studied them.

Dream's back hit a wall.

They were cornered.

His breathing picked up. They could do the same thing from before- split off and pass it, but they had too many and George was lucky that he left that ordeal with only a bruise. What happens if someone breaks a leg or something? They couldn't afford that, there was no way they could pass without someone getting hurt.

The monster snarled, crouching down and coiling up, ready to spring at them. The entire group froze, and Dream suddenly couldn't think past  _ no no no no- _

Someone was crying, softs whimpers leaving their throat. Someone else was bawling, a string of 'no's leaving their mouth just like Dream, but actually vocal. They were all frozen in fear, watching with wide eyes.

They were all going to get hit if they don't  _ move. _

The monster took another step forward, eyes bright in anger.

A spike of red shot out of its leg.

There was silence for a moment, then the monster howled in pain. Before it could do anything another red spike emerged from it's other leg, before they made their way up his body, shooting out of his thighs, stomach, chest, arms, neck, and lastly, his left eye. The monster froze, muscles contracting and twitching. The spikes all shuddered, before retracting back into his body like they were never there to begin with.

The beast collapsed, dead.

Dream blinked, shocked. His mind replayed the moment before, mouth open in confused awe. That's when he realized.

_ Those weren't red spikes, it was blood. _

"W-what-?" He's never heard Techno sound so expressive. He didn't blame him. "What just..?"

The sound of lighter footsteps invaded their ears. Nurses. "No time!" Dream grabbed the two people closest to him and pulled them forwards, snapping them out of their shock. "We have to go!"

They made it back to the safe room safely, surprisingly enough. No one bothered taking the bed out- they weren't going to sleep until they figured this out. One of them did, thankfully, start some type of food on the stove, letting it start up while they figured out what the hell just happened. "What was that?!"

"You guess is as good as mine." Eret mumbled, sounding numb. They  _ had _ just witnessed a death. Albeit, it was no one they cared about, but  _ still. _ Dream thinks he'd be losing it about that if this other thing wasn't taking his attention. "I think one of us did it."

Dream stared at the other senior, wide-eyed.  _ "What?!" _

"I agree." Niki nodded softly, curled up on the couch. While the room wasn't cold, it was a bit chilly, so she had a blanket they found wrapped around her. "Everyone else here is on the monster's side, besides us. Why would they do that?"

"Maybe they don't want us dead?" Fundy asked, but his voice was small. "Maybe this is all just one big joke?"

No one believed it, not even Fundy himself.

"Even if one of us did it." Techno spoke up, voice back to monotone even though Dream could hear the confusion in it.  _ "How?" _

They were quiet- each one knew the obvious answer but no one wanted to say it, because it was  _ crazy. _ "The experiment." Dream finally said. "They, they did  _ something _ and now one of us can control blood."

"What?" Wilbur's head shot up, recognition flashing in his eyes before it turned into cloudy confusion. "Control blood?"

He understood the sentiment. It sounded similar to him too. How, he doesn't know. "Yeah." He explains. "Those spikes were actually blood, I think. That's why it came from inside him, and why they disappeared in the same way. I think, whether on purpose or by accident, those experiments gave one of us…" he can't believe he's saying this- "powers."

It was quiet for a moment before George snorted. "We aren't in a comic book, Dream."

"Well what's your explanation?!" Dream snapped, glaring at his friend. "Come up with a better one! I'm waiting."

George said nothing, gritting his teeth and looking away. He knew they all believed him, even though he knew they also couldn't believe it as well.

"If one of us has powers…" Sapnap murmured, looking at Dream for guidance. "Does that mean we all have powers?"

"Maybe." Dream shrugged, and the room seemed to go more tense. He looked at his hand, half expecting it to go invisible or something. These kidnappers, these  _ awful _ people have done something to them. There could be terrible consequences to whoever used their blood powers and they wouldn't know, because whoever did it is either keeping quiet or  _ didn't know _ they did it in the first place. Dream guessed the latter.

"There are cameras everywhere." Wilbur sat down next to Niki. "They definitely saw what happened. Do you think they knew this could happen? Will they come after whoever did it?"

Dream suddenly hates the leader role he had been thrown into. In school and sports he basked in it, but when his guidance could get people killed? He couldn't handle that.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Techno cut in, and Dream was suddenly very thankful that he had a rival. "But there's probably no way for them to be able to tell who did it. If they don't know, and we don't know, then they'll just have to go after all of us, like they've been doing."

"Which means that even if the person with blood magic does find out he" George paused to glance at Niki "-or she has it, they can't say anything about it. There's cameras everywhere, right?"

"Yeah." Eret nodded. "We might be able to find other ways to communicate, but if they  _ are _ after these powers they've created, whoever has them has to be careful."

Dream knows who has them.

At least, he thinks he  _ should know _ who has them. Something in the back of his head says he  _ should know, _ but he  _ doesn't _ and the feeling is driving him crazy.

Whatever they were cooking was finally ready and they paused in the frantic guessing game to eat. Dream's never been so happy for bland food- he had three servings before he helped Sapnap pull the bed out. While there wasn't really any way to tell the time there was a timer in one of the storage boxes and Dream told them to set it for three hours. Not enough to cause a real difference but enough to get their energy back up. It doesn't matter in the end, he's pretty sure Techno set it to 5 anyway.

He slept through all of it, and while he had at least two nightmares of  _ pain agony needles prodding his skin wake up wake up wake up- _ they didn't wake him up and he's happy about that. He woke up a few minutes before the timer went off, the first of his group awake.

The others were playing board games. Monopoly, actually. Techno was winning with Wilbur close behind. Dream's not surprised, he knows their family goes hardcore on family game nights. He and Tubbo joined them once. Tommy had grinned and bet them $50 that he'd beat them in every game, and while Dream was definitely going to take that deal Phil cut it off with a disapproving look.

Tommy then preceded to beat them in every game, and Dream understood why Phil didn't let them gamble money. And Tommy was the worst at boardgames out of the entire family.

He briefly wondered how Tommy and Tubbo were doing. Better than them, probably. Hopefully. Did everyone know they were missing? They had to by now, the field trip wasn't supposed to be  _ this long. _ People are looking for them, definitely.

They had to be.

Please be looking…

Please…


	6. Chapter 6

They were back in the library.

With the rest of the floor combed through, it was the last place they could go. The moment the box on their arm checked they had ran to the library. None of them had used their checks yet, and Fundy offered to use his if the box went unchecked. Techno didn't think it was needed- they had killed the monster on this floor.

"Unless this really is like a game and they can respawn." It was a joke, but no one laughed.

The first thing they did was check the pedestal in the middle of the room. It was empty, but it was obvious it was supposed to hold something. Something hopefully in the room they were in. On one side of the pedestal was a ∆°, and on the other side a √:|. Danger and the right way. Well then, this won't be fun.

The library was big, and they all split up into groups of two to look around. Dream got stuck with his rival, and he pretended to act like he didn't care but he knew out of their entire group, Techno was probably the safest to be around. They were the only two that have been vigorously working out and competing against each other since forever. There have been other, lesser rivals, but each time the other learned about these new rivals said rivals were no longer rivals. It was a thing they both saw and understood. These other 'rivals' treated it like it was real- they were actually mean and tried to sabatoge them. Dream and Techno had each other's backs, even though they'd do almost anything to win. They made each other better by bragging and pushing the other down.

And Dream had not been paying attention to what he was doing.

"Look at this." Techno called over, showing him a book. "Teaches you memorization techniques."

"Gimme that." Dream tried to grab it, but Techno held it out of his reach. Techno's always been better at memorization compared to him, even though they were both above average when it came to it. "Comeon, I might fail history without that!"

"You have a 99 in that class."

"And you have a 102!" Dream glared. "Literally, how?"

"Ever heard of extra credit?"

"Teacher's pet." Dream grumbled, still eyeing the book, and Techno laughed.

"Says the one who sucks up to all the coaches." Techno gave him the book. "I lied."

It was a paranormal fiction book about ghosts. Dream glared at him again. "Very funny."

"I have to keep your hopes up somehow." Techno's monotone voice didn't hide his grin. "Especially because we have four more years of it."

"Five." Dream correctly absentently, thumbing through some more books.

Techno sounded confused. "Five? Dream, college is only four years long."

"I know." They, along with Sapnap, were all going to the same college. "We also have that year long program before that, though. Remember?"

Techno frowned. "No, I don't."

Dream knew that voice. That was his lying voice. Dream looked at him, confused, but he was staring Dream down, as if silently begging him to  _ stop talking. _

What was so important about an extra year of school?

Question was,  _ what were they doing in that one extra year of school? _

He… he couldn't remember.

"Oh yeah." He said weakly, and Techno seemed to relax. "Four year college, my bad. Why were you so upset, it was just a slip of the tongue."

Techno's eyes darted around, before he shrugged. "Don't know." He said sincerely. "Something just tells me we  _ shouldn't _ talk about that in public,  _ ever." _

His eyes caught on a camera overheard, before he continued looking through books. Dream blinked, confusion swimming through him. Did this have to do with the powers thing? Or was this something completely different? If it was the former, then did that mean their missing memories had to do with their powers? Did gaining powers cause them to lose memories?

He was digging himself into a hole that he didn't want to be in.

Suddenly, the bookshelves started to shake and rumble. Dream locked eyes with Techno, and they both started running back to the pedestal. Books started falling on them, and one particularly thick one hit the side of his head as he ran.

Almost everyone else was there when they got there. Wilbur was holding a totem of some type, clutching it to his chest, and Dream got the feeling that he tried it on the pedestal and it didn't work.

He guessed this was the 'danger' part of the library.

Books started falling off bookshelves. As the last book fell off a shelf, the shelf itself fell over, slamming roughly into the ground. They all shrieked, huddling closer to the pedestal. Another bookshelf fell down.

Out of nowhere, Niki appeared, slamming a scroll of some type onto the pedestal. The pedestal shook, but then calmed. The library stopped shaking. Niki glared at Wilbur. "I  _ told you _ it was the scroll."

"But-" Wilbur looked bashful. "It's always the totem in movies!"

"Which is exactly why it  _ wasn't _ here!" Niki crossed her arms, sighing. She turned towards the others. "Is everyone okay?"

They all muttered small yes's, still in shock from the library crashing down around them. "Dream." Someone said, and they all looked at him. "You're bleeding."

"I am?" He suddenly felt liquid coming down the side of his face, and his hand went up to touch his head, which stung. "Oh yeah, a book hit my head when Techno and I were running back. I'm fine."

Wilbur and his random first aid knowledge appeared next to him, checking his eyes and the cut. "Yeah, he's hard headed." He finally said. "It's just a cut, no concession or anything."

Thank God for that. Now, time to get back on track. "Did you look to see what the scroll said?" Dream asked, hoping it would have the code for the box.

Niki hesitantly took the scroll off the pedestal. When nothing happened, she unraveled it and looked inside. "It says back of library, last shelf, black book."

Well then. It wasn't a code but it was  _ something. _

They made their way to the back of the library, hoping over books and fallen shelves. Fundy almost twisted an ankle and Sapnap fell three times, but they got there with no casualties at the end. Eret was the one to find the black book first. He pulled it off the shelf, opening it. "It's blank."

Damnit.

Dream was about to call it a day (he was hungry and thirsty and he was winning in monopoly (Techno and Wilbur were asleep) when they had left) and head back to the safe room when the bookshelf shuddered, sliding to the side to reveal a hidden staircase.

"Wow." Techno muttered, staring at it. "I was joking when I said this was an escape room earlier."

"Not joking anymore, I think." Wilbur was the first to go into the passageway. "There's a right way symbol on the ground. This might lead up to the top floor."

They followed him upstairs. The passageway ended at a normal looking unlocked door. When they opened it and looked around, they found themselves at the top floor.

Empty. Open and empty, the entire floor.

Dream spins around. Three of the four walls on this floor are made of glass, and Dream can see the outside world- dark at night. The last wall is where the staircase was. Besides that and the little staircase room they came out of, empty.

"Well then." Eret looked around. "This is anticlimactic."

"Wait a second." Wilbur pointed at something on the wall by the staircase. Now that he was looking, he did see a bit of an enclove. Wilbur went towards it. "There's something here."

He was the first one to make it there. The others followed behind, and Techno frowned. "Wilbur, wait a second-"

But Wilbur either didn't hear him or ignored him. He peeked into the enclove. "There's a pattern or something in here-" He let out a shocked gasp as something mechanical grabbed his wrist, pulling him into the little carved out area.

Techno's wary walk broke out into a sprint faster than Dream's ever seen him go. "Wilbur-!"

"I'm fine!" They heard Wilbur call, and when Dream could finally see him again he  _ did  _ look fine, besides the metal arms holding his ankles and wrists in place. Wilbur looked both scared and sheepish, pointing to a symbol underneath a board of patterns. "I didn't notice that before."

The danger symbol.

Techno grabbed his own hair. "Wilbur!" He groaned. "Dad is going to  _ kill me." _

Wilbur laughed, a bit of his worry fading away. He turned to look at the others, his eyes narrowing before widening in shock. "Fundy?"

They all turned to the kid in question.

Someone gasped.

The world seemed to glitch around him, making his form break apart and come together before he vanished. At first Dream thought it was new powers, but something deep inside him said it wasn't.

This was something worse.

"Fundy?!" Dream called out, looking around. "Fundy?!?"

No answer.

"Fundy has powers." George whispered, trying to keep his voice down. "What's he doing?"

"No, I don't think that's it." Dream cut in. "I think this is something different. Something much worse."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhhhh heh  
> Reading the story tags are important  
> Merry Christmas!

There was nothing they could do for Fundy, but Wilbur was trapped and they needed to get him out. Dream looked at his arm again- the box was still checked. 

At least one thing was going for them.

"There's a note above you, Wilbur." Niki spoke up, pointing. "What does it say?"

Wilbur glanced up, reaching up to grab it. The metal arm grabbing his wrist went with the movement. "It says 'count the numbers correctly or lose a foot'. What?"

Dream looked at the pattern. He blinked. "Oh!"

"Care to share with the class?" George looked around, as if expecting Fundy to come back.

"Look at the pattern." Dream pointed. "It's all numbers. Look, a regular 3 and 6, the roman numeral II and IX, and a few more. The five dots that you'd see on dice, and those tally marks go up to seven."

"So it's a counting puzzle." Techno explained, eyes narrow. "If you get it right, you're released from this thing. If you get it wrong-"

"-I lose a foot, somehow." Wilbur's face was wobbly, and his eyes were wide. "T-this shouldn't be t-to hard, right?"

"It shouldn't." Dream assured. "Look, the first one is the single dot, like on game die, then the roman numeral II then a regular 3. The four tally marks are four and then the five dots on dice is five."

His tone was soft and confident, and Wilbur followed his instructions slowly, as if expecting something to come out and saw off his foot at any moment. Each time he pressed the correct one, the number lit up in green. When he pressed five, though, the pattern changed.

And by change, they started changing spots. The four was now where the six was, and then it switched to the nine spot before going elsewhere. They switched almost every other second, and Wilbur was shaking now, understanding. If he was too slow, he'd pick the wrong one. He'd lose.

The younger boy looked at Techno, real fear splashed across his face. He was shaking. "I-I-"

His older brother shushed him, grabbing his arm to stop it from shaking. "Calm down, we're right here. You know what you're doing, Wilbur. Next one is easy, just a regular 6."

Dream could see how tense both of them were, and he understood the sentiment. The rest of them were still, as if afraid they would somehow set off whatever mechanism was holding Wilbur in. Wilbur stared at the pattern, hand darting up to jab at the 6 next time it appeared. It lit up green.

"Nice!" Dream hoped his congratulations would calm the younger teen a bit. "Now we have seven, which was the tally marks."

Wilbur again jabbed at the seven, and it lit up green like the others. The numbers kept switching, and Wilbur's eyes widened. "Which one is 8?!"

There were three dull ones left, and while Dream knew that nine was the roman numeral version he didn't know what these last two were. They were some type of symbols he didn't recognize, and they didn't show off how many there were like dice numbers did. He didn't know. "I don't know."

Wilbur's breathing picked up, and Techno's hand on his arm seemed to be the only grounding factor he had. His eyes flickered back and forth, across the pattern board. "Does anyone know?!"

It was silent.

No one knew.

He was panicking now, Dream could tell. Techno was frozen in some type of shock, it wasn't often that he  _ didn't _ know something. Without anyone's guidance Wilbur got closer and closer to complete panic. He stared at one of the symbols they didn't recognize, jamming his thumb into it.

The number turned red.

An arrow embedded itself in Wilbur's lower leg.

He  _ screamed. _

It jump-started everyone, and Techno was there immediately, putting pressure down around the wound like he's done it before (first aid first aid  _ first aid-) _ and the others shouted, panicking. Wilbur was breathing hard, less from the pain (because he was probably in shock) and more from the beginning panic, knowing he was shot and waiting for it to actually  _ really _ hit him. Before anyone could stop him he jammed his finger into the other unknown symbol. It turned green, and he quickly hit the roman numeral nine and the last symbol that got him shot in the first place.

The pattern board made a happy humming sound and the metal arms released him. The thing shut down. They didn't even get anything for their troubles.

Wilbur was lowered to the ground, and the moment his leg touched the floor he screamed, pain finally catching up to him. The arrow had gone through the side of his leg, into his calf and hopefully missing anything important. Wilbur thrashed, slamming his head into the hard floor below him. Dream grabbed his head before he could do it again.

"Dear  _ lord, _ god damnit fuck-" Wilbur shut his eyes, and when he opened them again they were clearer then before. "Shit this  _ hurts-" _

"We have to get him back to that safe room downstairs." Techno bent down, grunting as he picked his younger brother up. "We need supplies,  _ something, _ we have to-" he was panicking hard, they all were, and they were acting almost like headless chickens this wasn't good they had to focus-

Fundy appeared before them.

Wait, what?

The area around him was glitched, as if he was a bug in a computer. His form shifted about for a second, before forming completely. He checked his arm, making Dream want to do the same.

The box was unchecked again.

"Fundy!" He said instead. "Where were you-"

"No time!" He didn't even seem to realize that Wilbur was hurt. His eyes were wide, filled with unknown information and fear. "We- we were right guys! N-Not all of us have powers, but, but  _ some do! _ Whatever you do,  _ don't  _ use your powers. Don't use them, don't talk about them,  _ just don't- _ or else, or else-" Fundy grabbed at his head, hands clawing into his skull. "I'm forgetting again, I'm forgetting- the memories! They're connected- they're connected to their powers-"

"Fundy, calm down." Niki soothed, grabbing his hands. "What happened?"

"I-" Fundy gulped, licking his lips. Dream's never seen him look so crazy. "Don't- they're not who we think they are, this is different, big, this place isn't-"

There was a loud bang.

Fundy jerked before slipping out of Niki's grasp and falling to the ground, a bullet embedded in the side of his head. Dead.

_ Dead. _

Every nerve in his body locked up and screamed, and he stared. He stared and stared and stared but Fundy didn't move, didn't get up, didn't  _ breathe- _

There was noise over by the stairwell. He heard the nurses. He kept staring anyway.

Why wasn't he moving? Move, Fundy,  _ move. _

Someone was screaming. It was muffled in his ears. Blood was pooling around Fundy's head, like they wanted to make him think that his friend was  _ dead,  _ but he's  _ not _ he's  _ not  _ hesnot  _ hesnothesnot- _

A hand grabbed his arm, pulling him away. He jerked, trying to go back. They had to wake him up, nurses were coming they had to  _ wake him up he's not dead he's not  _ **_dead-_ **

Someone pushed him into the stairway that headed into the library. He couldn't see Fundy anymore.

Something in him shattered.

_ Fundy was dead. He wasn't getting back up. _

They ran through the library, stumbling over books and shelves and he led the way, tears running down his face as he picked out ways for Techno to go since he was carrying Wilbur  _ Wilbur got shot _ and they didn't stop to look behind them. He was hearing things that weren't there, he was hearing  _ Fundy _ and the nurses but he ignored it in favor of  _ running _ and what happened what happened  _ what happened what- _

He didn't even realize they had made it to the safe room. He opened the door, letting everyone in before going in himself. He checked the hallway one last time.

Fundy stood twenty or so feet away, blood falling from his temple like a sick memory. He smiled and waved, before falling to the ground again, dead.

_ Dead. _

Dream slammed the door shut. He placed his back against it, slid down the wall, and cried.

  
  
  


"I'm not sure that was a good idea."

The man waved away his coworker's worries. "It's fine, he wasn't one of them anyway. Besides, you know what he saw."

"We were erasing the memories though." The other man replied, looking through some files. "He wouldn't have remembered if we had waited another few seconds. How'd he get out anyway?"

"Not quite sure." The man responded, shrugging "Well, doesn't really matter. We're just thinning the herd. Brushing away the hay stack until we find those needles."

"Nice analogy, sir."

"Thank you." The man preened for a moment. "Now, go throw away that body. And be smart about it, we don't need those heroes on our tail just yet."

"Yes sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry <3


	8. Chapter 8

_ Breaking News! _

_ ‘One of the missing students has been found and is currently at the hospital. Their identity is being hidden by their parents, but due to their injuries the police are changing this case from missing to a group kidnapping. If you have seen or heard from any of these kids in the last few days, it is imperative that you tell the local authorities.’ _   
  


"Dad!" Tommy shouts, voice cracking in urgency. Tubbo sat next to him, eyes glued to the screen. He knew why.

It didn't say who the student was. It could be Techno or Wilbur or Dream or anyone else they knew. While all of the missing students were much older than them, they still knew them pretty well. Both boys enjoyed following their older siblings to their hangouts spots, especially because Techno and Dream would hang out (is competing intensely with each other actually hanging out?) which means Tommy and Tubbo could meet up as well. He also likes annoying some of Dream's other friends. George was great in that area, and Sapnap was actually really chill. He knew Tubbo liked talking with Eret, surprisingly, and when Wilbur brought Niki and Fundy it became a lot more chill, since it was a few different age groups all mixed up.

He's getting off topic here.  _ One of the missing students were back. _

_ And the case was changed to a mass kidnapping. _

_ He was right! _

Why does this have to be the time he was right?

Phil ran into the room, sensing Tommy's urgent tone. He stared at the screen, which was going into more detail about the student. They were apparently found in critical condition.

"We have to see who it is!" Tubbo jumped up, clenching and relaxing his fists repeatedly. "What, what if it's one of them?!"

"They would've called." Phil said to assure them, but that just dampened Tommy's mood. At least they could be in better condition than this person. "I'll get Kristen, we'll go together."

Tommy smirked at his dad's ingenuity. Of course they should bring mom, she would be their ticket in.

Their ride to the hospital is tense. Phil turns up the radio to listen to local news, which is still focused on the missing students. The announcer is now going through all the things you should do if you see one of the students, especially if they're with an unknown adult or if they look distressed. Tommy hated it, hated hearing about how a victim of kidnapping might look or might react, because he couldn't imagine Wilbur or Techno or Dream or any of their friends acting like that.

He didn't want to imagine it.

Finally it went on to talk about a car crash up north before turning to music, and Tommy relaxed in the back of the car. They arrived a few minutes later, and while normal people wouldn't be able to see the student in critical care the nurse at the front desk took one look at Kristen and led them all back.

"We're thankful you could make it." A doctor was waiting for them, leading them towards the patient's room. "We didn't know if he could survive much longer- there are severe lacerations all around his head, two being very close to the base of his spinal cord, with a mild to severe concussion. He's also bruised all along his back and we have a few different injection sites openly seeable. They're getting drug tests done now."

Kristen takes all of the information in stride, like she was used to it. The doctor opened the door, letting them all in. While they used to try and stop Phil and the kids if they tried to enter, they now realized that they wouldn't mess with anything and it helped Kristen work.

Tommy sucked in a breath when he saw who laid still in the bed, looking more than half dead already. Fundy.

Kristen pushes past them all, a woman on a mission. The nurses let her, knowing of her powers. She raises her hands, and they start to glow softly. In front of his eyes, Tommy watches as the cuts and bruises close up and heal unnaturally fast. He loved watching her heal injuries, it was such a neat thing to see. She was the only person with healing powers that he knew.

Long ago, he didn't know how long, people with powers started appearing across the world. These powers ranged from super strength to flying to turning into a worm. Less than 1 percent of the world got these powers, and while at the beginning it was awesome it started going sour quick. Villains started appearing from the shadows, and heroes started emerging to fight them off. Organizations of both were formed to help their side. There was only one for heroes- a national hero organization, with smaller branches for each country and then even smaller branches for cities. 

At first, these organizations didn’t seem too bad. The only problem was that they got a law signed into power which requires that those with powers have to register themselves with their city organization. While the archives they held these files at didn’t have names or pictures to match the files, they were extremely easy to break into if you were a villain. Tommy’s been through multiple panics where a villain shows up in their town, looking for _ him _ .

Because he was one of the few with powers. His whole family did. As did Tubbo’s. He hoped this wasn’t a targeted kidnapping, but why would they want Fundy? Fundy didn’t have powers, he wasn't registered, and he knew some of the other people taken didn’t have powers either.

What was going on? Where was his family? What happened?

“Is a hero coming to help investigate?” Phil was asking the doctor, voice concerned as his wife continued to heal Fundy. They didn’t have any superheroes in their remotely small town, so they always called in for help at the nearby city, which housed the organization that had their power registration files.

“We sent in a request, but we haven’t gotten an answer yet.” The doctor replied, sounding solemn. “Since this is now classified as a mass kidnapping, I doubt it’ll be long before someone appears.”

At that moment Fundy gasps, jerking up and opening his eyes. He's mostly healed, with just a few shallow cuts and bruises left. His eyes are wide in panic, though, and he screams.

"Fundy!" Kristen shushed him softly, and he stilled, relaxing, because  _ everyone _ knew Kristen, she was the mom that always made her sons bring in cookies for their friends. "You're safe now. It's okay."

"B-but." Fundy shuddered, even though it was warm. "I, I,  _ I was shot. _ In the head, how-?"

Shot in the head? What? He should be dead. The doctor shook his own head. "I'm sorry young man, but that can't be true. We found no evidence of any bullet wounds on your body."

"W-what?" He stuttered. "B-but I  _ know _ I was. I, I had overheard them, I, I knew what they wanted, s-so I warned the others and-"

"The others?!" Tommy cut him off, impatient. "What happened, Fundy? Where were you guys?!"

"T-techno and Dream s-said there was a, a field trip." Fundy tried to explain, eyes hazy. "W-which was w-weird, c-cause we're s-sophmores and it was a s-senior o-only trip."

"A field trip?" Phil asked, confused. "I never signed off on anything field trip related." 

"What did you overhear, Fundy?" Tubbo cut in, turning the conversation. "What did who say?"

"It's-" the high schooler grabbed at his hair. "It's all fuzzy, I don't- they wanted- I can't-"

"Relax." Kristen soothed, shooting them all a look that said to calm down. "You had a concussion, it's okay if you don't remember. We're just happy that you're back safe."

"It's not okay!" Fundy snapped, gritting his teeth. "They want something and for some reason I can't remember  _ what! _ T-they messed with our heads and we were, we were  _ trapped _ and-" the teenager broke, tears running down his face, and the doctor made them leave since they were aggravating the patient.

While the visit didn't tell them anything really important, it did just drive Tommy's first suspicion home.

Something was very wrong.

And nothing was as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That 'kinda' tag after the 'character death' tag is very important. Also the 'mindfuckery' tag as well <3


	9. Chapter 9

It was quiet in the safe room.

None of them spoke, none of them did anything. It was silent, as if no one was even in there in the first place.

Wilbur was sleeping fitfully on the bed, arrow out and calf wrapped up. It needed to be rewrapped soon, they had tried to stop the blood but it never did, so they just wrapped it up and hoped for the best. Techno might have some understanding of first aid, somehow, but it wasn’t enough for an arrow wound.

Who even  _ used _ arrows anymore?

Dream stared at the soup in his hands, growing cold. He was starving, but looking at the bowl just made him feel sick to his stomach.

_ He couldn’t stop seeing him dead. Couldn’t stop seeing the blood. _

He sighed, pushing it away. “What are we doing?”

It’s the first time they’ve broken silence since Wilbur fell asleep, clutching Techno’s arms and crying from pain and grief. Techno was still sitting on the bed, curling his finger’s in Wilbur’s hair to comfort him. Right now, the sleeping sophomore was the only one relaxed in the room.

“What do y-you mean?” Niki sniffled quietly, eyes red with unshed tears. It had been hours, and she was still crying. Dream didn’t blame her, Fundy, Niki, and Wilbur were all close- the younger part of this group. “W-we’re stuck in here a-a-and F-Fundy’s  _ dead _ and-”

_ He’s dead. _

_ He was killed. _

Dream clenched his fist, face set. “He was killed.” Dream muttered, staring at the floor. “They’ll pay for this. Whoever he was talking about-  _ they’ll pay.” _

“How?” George murmured, eyes sunken in and red when he looked at him. “He didn’t tell us, he didn’t have  _ time _ to tell us…”

“We do know a few things.” Techno cut in. “He confirmed that these powers we’re getting have some type of importance. Our memories and these powers are connected somehow, and our captors… they aren’t who we think they are?”

“But what do we think they are?” Sapnap sat next to Dream, pushed into his side. Dream tightened the arm he had around him. “Monsters? Terrible people?”

“Nurses.” Dream cut in. “They said this was the Kiln, an Insane Asylum. What if it isn't?”

“Seems pretty asylum-y.” George was on his other side, knees pulled up to his chest and arms wrapped around them. He was deliberately not touching any of them. “But the giant men and random puzzles definitely don’t add up. Not to mention they don’t say anything about the kidnapped group of kids.”

“So this isn’t an asylum.” Eret summed up. “Honestly, I’m not surprised. The question is, what is this place?”

“Fundy also said they were messing with his memories. As in, right then.” Dream added on. “Which means that he either went somewhere that they messed with his head or they can do it at any time.”

“He wasn’t gone for too long.” Eret mumbled. “And remember Wilbur and Techno? When they brought up Mrs. Kristen and first aid? They forgot it on the spot.”

“I forgot first aid?” Techno frowned. “If I did, it must have something to do with…” He trailed off and looked around. Dream knew why.

_ Memories are connected to powers.  _ If they forgot their mom taught them first aid, then it has to do with powers. Was their mom connected to this somehow? Did they do the same to her and she just forgot?

The idea was chilling.

“Ugh!” Sapnap grabbed his hair, frustrated. “We never even got the code for that stupid box!”

Wilbur still had it, in one of his jacket pockets. No one really wanted to wake the hurt teen up, but they needed a plan and they needed to talk and Wilbur deserved to know. They all looked at Techno, expecting him to do it.

Dream’s rival sighed, shaking his brother softly, murmuring something in his ear to help him wake up. Like everything else, this safe room had a better medkit than the other rooms. It had stronger meds too, so hopefully Wilbur wouldn't feel the pain as much.

“Hmm?” Wilbur’s hair shifted as he shuffled awake, eyes opening in slits. They looked too foggy to tell if he was in pain or not. “Tech...no?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Techno’s hand went back up to his hair. “How’re you feeling?”

Wilbur groaned, burying his face into the mattress. “Gimme a moment.”

They could at least do that. Dream pressed closer to Sapnap, enjoying the comfort. He wished George was one for physical comfort, but when he gets stressed he’s more likely to back up and back out then reach for contact. Oh well, it was his opinion and his choice.

Wilbur finally sat up, looking around blearily. “You needed the box?” His hand went to his pocket, digging through until he pulled out the box and held it up. He narrowed his eyes at the thing. “We could do random combos until we get it.”

Dream gritted his teeth, glaring at it. It’s sent them on a wild goose chase that ultimately got one of their friends  _ killed. _ “Why can’t it just fucking open?!”

“I hate this.” Niki started sobbing again. “Why us? What did we do? Fundy d-didn’t d-deserve this!”

The room got louder as they all expressed their anger and hate. Next to him, Sapnap clenched his fists, glaring at the box. Dream grabbed his hand in comfort.

His hand was hot. Very hot.

The box caught on fire.

Wilbur yelped, dropping it. Techno grabbed a blanket, waiting a moment before smothering the fire. He waited a second before picking the box up. It was scorched almost all the way through, broken and open. It almost crumbled out of his hand, and he picked up the thing inside.

A keycard. A keycard with the word ‘elevator’ written on the back with sharpie. 

Wilbur blinked. “There’s an elevator in this place?”

“Yeah, I saw it earlier. On the ground floor.” Eret paused, glancing around. “Was… was that fire..?”

No one answered, but everyone had the same idea. Someone else had used their powers, accidentally most likely. Someone had fire powers.

Sapnap’s hand was still overly warm.

He glanced at his friend, who seemed to realize what just happened at the same time he did. They locked eyes, and Sapnap nodded.

He was one of them. One of the ones who had powers. One of the ones they were after.

  
  


They, again, wait a little while longer before taking the stairs back down to the ground floor. Dream had heated up his soup and downed it all, filled with a sense of direction and purpose again. These people had to pay, and to pay, he had to escape.

For Fundy.

When he steps off the last floor to the ground floor he immediately steps in blood.

He wants to puke.

The ground floor is almost barren. While there were no bodies to be seen, blood stained the floor and walls. Twenty or so kids still hung out at the wall, shivering and terrified. Some had their eyes closed, and Dream wasn’t sure if they were even alive.

He checked his arm. The smaller number was down to 22.

The bigger number, the number that showed how many people were still alive, was down to 64.

64, out of the beginning 243. 243 high schoolers. People Dream  _ knew, _ people Dream has passed in the school's hallways and had classes with.

Fundy was one of those people. 

He glared at nothing, ignoring it all and following Eret to the elevator. They made slow work, with Wilbur limping slightly. He said if it came down to it he could run- Techno made him swear that he could before they left. Techno was supporting him now, but that was just so he doesn’t strain himself too much. Eret took out the keycard, holding it in front of the elevator. The thing dinged and opened, as if waiting.

Dream glanced behind him, looking at the kids still sitting at the wall. He shuddered, turning around and walking into the elevator.

He didn’t look back.

The doors closed and one of them coughed. “There’s only one button.” George frowned. “Basement level.”

None of them liked the sound of that.

It didn’t help that when the door opened danger symbols littered the walls and floors everywhere they looked.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is heavy wow

He knows he’s dreaming, which is what makes it so weird. He's never lucid dreamed before.

He’s in a field of grass, laughing and grinning with hands full of grass blades. He shouted, amused, “Get them all!” before throwing the blades of grass into the air.

Tubbo was in front of him, smiling with his hands up and out. The blades of grass jerked in the air and stopped, floating. Tubbo yelled in success, keeping his hands out as he laughed. Dream let the dream continue, finding it funny. He’s been thinking so much about superpowers that now he’s imagining his own family having them.

Speaking of family, his parents were there too. His dad had a spear made of purple light in his hands, and his mom was giggling and laughing, sitting on a blanket and watching her sons. He remembered this memory-turned-dream. It was from a long time ago, before his parents were always away.

“One day-” Tubbo was small, five or so, and his smile was so bright he could rival the sun. “-I’m going to pick you and mom and dad up and it’ll be like Phil flying!”

At Phil’s name his vision went out, and he was suddenly elsewhere. School classrooms and scenarios flew through his mind- him stealing Sapnap’s cookies in preschool (“Give them back or I’ll burn you!” “You’ll have to catch me first!”) him meeting Techno in elementary (“I can swing faster than you!” “You’re on!”) him in high school using his dream’d up powers (“hey can you teleport up there and grab the homework key?” “You owe me for this”). He blinked and he was suddenly outside, his group of friends hidden in the woods in a clearing.

Tommy and Tubbo were there too. They were all younger, but it was more visible with them. They were 8 or so, maybe older, which would make Dream 13 or 14. Tommy grabbed Techno’s sleeve, who was glaring Dream down. Tubbo was next to Dream, looking worried. “Are you sure about this?”

“You scared he’s going to lose, Tubbo?!” Tommy taunted, grinning. Techno slapped him upside the head. Dream laughed- he was scared for no reason, they weren’t going to actually hurt each other. It’s just something they’ve always wanted to do.

“I’ll be fine.” He ruffled his little brother’s hair before pushing him away, turning towards Techno. Dream was interested, he doesn’t remember this memory, so either it was completely made up or-

Or he had forgotten it. It had been taken from him.

Techno took out a knife, cutting the palm of his hand. Blood leaked from his hand, floating up and around him, forming a scythe. Dream grinned, barely even registering that his own mind thought that Techno was the one with the blood powers. Techno ran forward, scythe swinging down. Dream felt a tug in his stomach, before he was suddenly behind Techno, bringing a foot up to kick at him. Techno, expecting it, jumped back. They both grinned at each other, their friends cheering and hollering as they watched. The two tensed, coiling up to attack again.

He wakes up, eyes slamming open. Everything is both too bright and too dark. People are talking loudly, but everything is muffled and he’s extremely tired. It took him a few seconds to realize he hadn’t woken up where he had fallen asleep. He wanted to panic, wanted to move, but his eyes were slipping close and he was suddenly under again.

He wakes up, sitting up and slamming his head into someone else’s head. Pain rammed into his head and he cursed. Sapnap fell on his ass next to him, clutching his own head. “Fucking hell! Ow, Dream!”

“It’s your fault!” Dream hissed, clutching his head. “Why were you so close, Jesus, Sapnap!”

“You were glitching!” Sapnap shouted, frantic, and Dream froze. “We thought what happened to Fundy would happen to you!”

He didn’t… he didn’t have a response for that.

“What… what happened, Dream?” George asked softly, eyes just as soft. “Where’d you go?”

“I- I’m not sure.” Dream swallowed thickly. “I had this weird dream… they were memories, memories of us, but some of us had powers in them…”

Sapnap’s head snapped up, and he frowned. “What?” He asked, almost aggressive with it. “That’s  _ not _ possible, the experiments they did on us- that’s why we have them. I thought we had agreed on that. Why are you now saying differently?”

“Yeah.” Wilbur frowned. “It was probably just a dream, no need to get all up about it.”

“No, we can’t just say that and be done with it.” Dream crossed his arms, face set. “We’ve lost memories, we don’t know what caused our powers. I-” He paused. “I saw some of our families use powers, too. I think it’s genetic.”

The idea silenced everyone but Techno, who snorted. “That’d be a lot of memories to get rid of, if some of us  _ grew up _ with powers. But-” He looked at all of them, ending on Wilbur. “-how much do we all really remember?”

“Alright.” Eret clapped his hands. “I think, from what we’ve seen before, we know that at least two of us have powers, and I think we all can figure out who here actually has the powers, by using deduction, what we  _ do _ remember, and our guts. We also know that whoever these people are probably want something from those two people. We also-” Eret paused, swallowing. “We also know that they aren't afraid to kill those who they think either don’t have powers or know too much.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Eret coughed and continued. “We don’t want them figuring out who has powers, and we don’t want them figuring out who doesn’t have powers. It’s as Fundy said- don’t talk about them and don’t use them- we can use this as a safety blanket.”

“But that’s 2 out of 7 of us.” Wilbur spoke up. “They’re more likely to just go for it, knowing the odds.”

“Well, firstly,” Eret bit his lip, as if wondering if he should say anything. “Hmm, hereditary. Anyway, there’s a chance there may be more of us with powers. If one of us does, and they learn in secret, 'accidently' using their powers while hiding the fact that they did it might be the best for all of us. If the pool goes from 2 out of 7 to 3 or 5 out of 7 then they’re less likely to go for it. It’s safer.”

Dream thought about his dream, about the people that used powers in them. If they really  _ did _ have powers before all of this, and it was a memory…

Then he was one of the people with powers.

His whole family, in fact.

It might be genetic, a recessive gene or something that gave them these powers. The thing is, in his dream, Techno was the one with the blood bending powers. He scratched his chin, glancing at Wilbur. The boy was whispering something to Niki, face pale and scared. If he was right…

If he was right, then four of them had powers. Only four. And while he isn’t sure what the last one’s powers may be, he knows he can’t show his own without getting caught.

“Well, we’ve been lucky so far, right?” He started slowly, locking eyes with each person in the room, trying to convey something he couldn’t say. “There’s at least two of us, but I’m also positive that there’s more.”

“How do you know?” George asked, tilting his head. “Was it in your dreams, memories, whatever?”

He nodded slowly, looking at the ground. “The thing is, these powers… what I saw wasn’t very nondescript.” He looked back up, catching Wilbur’s eye before looking away. “These people won’t be able to use their powers without it being obvious that it was them.”

“People?” Techno said after a moment. “As in, plural?”

Dream didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. Before they can get any farther, a shrill alarm starts up in the safe room, and a blinding light washes the area in dark red. They look around, confused, when the door to the room slams open and nurses flood the area.

Dream’s too surprised to do anything besides jump back, ducking under tangled grabbing limbs. He was confused, this was a safe room, right? They were supposed to be safe, they’ve been safe up until now, what’s going on?

It hit him when he heard his friends scream.  _ It was all a ruse, _ made to lure them into a false sense of security. None of them were ready, none of them could do anything. The teenagers with powers were too shocked and surprised to fight back, and in the packed room they could barely see. Dream was pushed in between five different nurses, squished together. He could barely breathe, everything was so tight, he felt claustrophobic.

Then the nurses started moving out, pulling back and away. The shrill alarm made his ears ring, and he almost didn’t notice when it stopped. He groaned, pulling himself to his feet and looking around.

They had left him. Why had they left him?

The safe room was a wreck, things haphazardly thrown around like a tornado had gone through. Plates were mashed and blood was splattered along the walls and ground. Dream looked around at his friends, counting them before freezing.

“Uh, guys?” Someone spoke up, but he didn’t listen, because  _ where was George and Eret? _ “What just happened?”

“They’re gone.” Dream breathed, chest caving in. He exhaled sharply, head whipping around in panic. “George? Eret?!”

_ “Fuck!”  _ He heard Sapnap growl, scrambling to his feet. He was running out the door before anyone could stop him, and Dream was right behind him. Where were they?! He couldn’t do this again,  _ where were they?! _

Sapnap is suddenly sprinting, and Dream is right behind him. He’s pretty sure he hears the others follow, but that doesn’t matter because  _ he knows _ both of them are normal  _ (like Fundy was) _ which means...  _ which means- _

_ They’re going to kill them. _

He somehow picked up his pace, catching up to Sapnap as they ran through the basement hallway, uncaring for what might be around the corner. They rounded a bend and almost slammed into a locked door. Dream looked up to see windows that showed the outside world. Above the door was a neon green sign with the last symbol on it. °-¶. 

_ The exit. _

They had found it. It was just behind this locked door. Dream slammed his fist against it before turning around. They had to find George and Eret first.

He pulled Sapnap away from the door, and the other teen seemed to snap back into it. They went back around the corner to see their friends standing by a door. Techno and WIlbur had their shoulders braced against it, shoving it open. They ran over to help, but before they could arrive the two forced it open.

There was a gym on the other side. One that looked suspiciously similar to their own high school gym. On one side of the gym is Eret, tied up high with some type of timer next to him. In the announcer’s box up high up was George, being held over the edge by a few security officers and nurses. He had a rope tied around his neck.

A noose.

"George!"

George yelled when he saw them, eyes wide in fear. A nurse holding him looked down at them, as if waiting for them to arrive.

“You’re late.” He said.

They dropped him off the edge.

Everything seemed to slow down.

Dream, George, and Sapnap have been friends for almost as long as he can remember. Sapnap spends more time at Dream's house than he does at his own. George is almost the same- since Dream's house is mostly empty. They were like his brothers, after so many years of hanging out and sleeping over. It’s always been the three of them, before anyone else. Yes, their friend group has expanded, and Dream wouldn’t want it any other way, but they were his first priority, always.

_ So how could he let himself fail? _

He caught George’s eyes as he fell, right before the rope went taunt. All he saw was fear and desperation. But there was, for a single second, acceptance. Then his body stopped falling and his neck snapped.

The sound echoed in his head, drummed against his ears. It was  _ loud _ and he’s sure he’d stay awake many nights listening to it over and over again. He couldn’t even bring himself to scream as his best friend’s body swung limply back and forth. Back and forth.

He fell to his knees.

The sound of a neck snapping filled his mind, echoed by the sound of a gunshot. He could see both Fundy and George in his mind, shouting and screaming and  _ blood _ was everywhere they were in pain why didn’t he help he should’ve done something helpless helpless blood  _ they were gone- _

Eret’s scream of despair is what brought him out of his line of thought. He had completely forgotten about his own peril, crying for George as the timer slowly went down next to him. 2 minutes left.

He… he…  _ he wouldn’t let him die too. _

_ He couldn’t fail someone else. _

He ran over. The senior was tied to a pole maybe ten feet off the ground, unable to move or do anything else. He could see a mechanism for a bow firing, right across from him, aimed right at his head. There was no way he could reach the bow, but if he could get Eret down-

He scrambled up the pole, ignoring his friends’ protests. It took longer then he would like, his eyes blurry from tears and his hands aching from clenching them too hard. He made it with less than a minute left, locking his legs around the pole and reaching for his restraints. “I’m getting you out of here.”

“Dream.” Eret sounded dead inside, he hated it. “The lock’s made of metal.”

“We found the exit, Eret.” He ignored him, gritting his teeth. “We’re all getting out of this fucking hellhole. We’re going to make them pay for doing this, I swear-”

“Dream.” Eret cut him off. “You can’t get me out-”

_ “Shut up!” _ Tears were covering his vision again, and he angrily wiped them away. “I-I can get you, I can’t, I can’t fail you too...”

“You’ve never failed anyone, Dream.” Eret, of course, as always, was looking out for someone else besides himself. He gave a weak smile to the others, who were trying to knock the bow off course. “Thank you, for being my friend.”

“I’ve almost got it!” Dream smashed his knee into the lock, bruising it while also breaking the lock. The things holding Eret there fell off. “I got it! Eret-” He turned towards the teen and froze.

_ Glassy white eyes. An arrow sticking out of his neck. _

_ He was too late. _

  
  
  


“I’m  _ really _ not sure about this one.” His coworker bit his lip. “I mean,  _ two? _ Did we have to?”

“They’re getting impatient.” He reminded him harshly. “From what we’ve seen, neither were ones we wanted. We gave that one kid plenty of time to escape, but nothing happened. Besides, they’re only looking for two of them.”

“Yes, the two registered ones. How do you know you didn’t just cut them both off?”

“Doesn’t matter, because I have a working hypothesis- and that one kid confirmed it for me.” He grinned at his coworker. “There’s more than two in there.”

His coworker paused. “Really?”

“Yep.” He spun in his chair. “Now, imagine if there's, say,  _ five _ of them, and we get rid of two of the special ones and three nonspecial ones. That still leaves us with three special ones, which is more than they were expecting. You know what that means?”

“We… we  _ won’t _ die?”

_ “We’ll get a raise.” _

“You’re crazy.” His coworker whimpered, and he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Psychotic. You act as if you want to be here.”

Well of course he did. He, unlike his coworking friend, had said  _ yes _ when they came to him with this opportunity. Because he was a smart and curious bastard and he wanted to see how this would turn out.

He’s happy with his choice. “Get rid of the bodies.”

“Yessir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


	11. Chapter 11

“They’re coming?”

“They’re at the police station right now.” Phil confirmed, putting on a black trench coat. Tommy recognized the coat- it was the same coat Phil would use when he went flying. It helped hide his wings without him having to put them away, into whatever plane of reality they went into when they weren't here. “Since we’re registered and Tubbo’s family is out of town, they’ll visit us next.”

He didn't bring up the other family, and while they cared about their son they wanted nothing to do with their own powers. Sapnap wasn't allowed to use them around his parents, which was one of the reasons he was always at Tubbo's house. His parents allowed it, because while they didn't like powers they knew Sapnap needed to learn.

Tommy, one day, asked Phil why they were so against it. He thought it was stupid, at the time, not liking something you were born with. Phil said they had both been sent to an academy when they were really young- it's where they met, actually. They had been brainwashed and turned into villains. Before they could cause havoc, though, some hero with mind powers helped reset them. They were back to how they were before, but they both had some nasty mental scars due to it. It led to a rejection and fear of their powers. Tommy never brought it up again.

He tapped his foot impatiently. The hero organization had finally sent someone to help them. It took them way too long, in Tommy’s opinion, but better late than never.

The city that housed their organization was pretty big, with a population of 15 million (one of the biggest cities in their country, they held all the registration files for dozens of smaller towns near them), and they had at least a dozen heroes running about. He knows they sent a duo to investigate, and he’s pretty sure there’s only one superhero duo in that area. Bad and Skeppy.

They were a weird pair from what Tommy's seen. Their powers didn’t go together at all, but Tommy still had fun watching them beat up any villains that crossed their paths on tv. Bad was an empath of some sort- he could change and control emotions, and Skeppy made things go boom. He’s never seen someone able to cause explosions before, which was  _ awesome. _ He caused a lot of property damage but he was also apparently rich so he got away with it as long as he paid. Tommy doesn’t even know why he's a superhero, he just kinda follows Bad around like a lost puppy.

Speak of the devil, their doorbell rang.

“I got it.” Tubbo bounced up, running towards the door. He had been staying with them for a week now, ever since those guys in suits appeared. Tubbo's parents and his own were close, both having powers and not being able to talk about it to more than a few other people. That tends to bring people together. The only reason they're traveling right now is because Phil said he'd keep an eye on Dream and Tubbo. They already came over to his house often- Tubbo for Tommy and Dream for cookies and sometimes his friends. He wonders if Phil has called with the news, if they know what's happened. Are they on their way back? “It’s them!”

Tommy tried not to squeak, because this was his first time meeting real superheroes. Ones that he watches fight often. They were one of the reasons why he wanted to become a hero himself.

When registered kids finish high school they’re required to do an extra year of school at a hero organization. There they learn to better control their powers, act responsibly, and more about how to be a superhero in general. At the end of that year you can either continue on to college, leave completely, or go into the superhero program and become a hero. None of his siblings are interested in it, and neither of his parents did it either. He’d be the first person in his family to become an actual superhero.

But there’s always two sides to a coin. If the hero’s organization has a school, then so does the villain’s organization.

Every time someone comes into town looking for him or anyone else with powers, they're most likely a recruiter of some sorts. There’s been many cases of missing registered kids, from all different ages. The villain school mostly kidnaps their students, unless there’s a legacy. The former is what happened to Sapnap's parents. Tommy was scared from the beginning that this had something to do with those academies, but they took unregistered kids too, so it was confusing to him.

_ Where were his brothers? _

_ Were they okay? _   
“Nice to meet you.” Phil was shaking one of the hero’s hands, Bad’s. He recognized him from his black hood that somehow managed to hide his entire face. That wasn’t normal, he wondered how he did it. Skeppy was leaning against the wall a few feet back, also wearing a hood, but this one was light blue and Tommy could still see his entire face. “Thank you for coming out here and helping out.”

“Of course.” Bad nodded, pulling back his hood. His face felt like it was made of shadows, and Tommy didn’t know what technology he had to pull that off. He looked distressed. “I’m very sorry that this had to happen to you.”

“My condolences.” Skeppy added on, looking around the house. As per what he's seen on screen, Bad was the sympathizer and Skeppy was the wildcard. “But we’re already a week behind, if we want to find them…”

“Yes.” Bad sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “This isn’t going to be easy. We have the police report, but due to the people taken and the secrecy behind that we need to know what you know.”

The police don’t even know who’s registered or not. The organization was pretty secretive about registration. Especially when it comes to minors and superheroes. Tommy’s pretty sure that Bad and Skeppy have different names to use when out and about. This might not even be their real faces. The hospital knows about his family because of Kristen, but they've all been sworn to secrecy and they love her anyway- they wouldn't betray her.

“Makes sense.” Phil nodded. “There're 3 registered families in this town, as you already know. Those 3 families have a total of 6 registered kids. 4 of those six kids have been kidnapped, along with 4 others. 1 unregistered kid reappeared and is currently in the hospital.”

While kids with powers were registered, so it makes sense to call them that, it was also to hide the fact that they were different. Most normal people don't know that being registered means you have powers. It was like a code word- Tommy likes code words.

“We heard about him.” Skeppy nodded, crossing his arms. “After we’re finished here we’re checking out the sight where they found him.”

Tommy wanted to go with them. He wanted to help.

But firstly- “Some guys in suits also chased me and Tubbo down a few days ago.” He added in. “They asked if I was related to any of the missing people too.”

“That-” Bad rubbed his chin, thinking. “I really don’t want to say it, but I think it has to do with the academy.”

The academy. Where Sapnap's parents went. That’s what they called the villain’s schools. Once you were in there, you stayed there until you were broken and turned. From what Tommy’s heard, it doesn’t actually take that long. He really hoped that wasn’t the case.

“But-” Tubbo seemed to be in the same boat. “They don’t take normal people to the academy! What about the others?”

“Yeah!” Tommy added on. “We just found Fundy near here, they must still be around!” He paused. “Why would they still be around?”

“Do you think they would go after all the registered kids in the town?” Phil asked, his tone hardening. Tommy felt the need to comfort his dad, but he was never good at that sort of thing. “I’ve never heard of them doing something like this before.”

Neither has Tommy. It’s always been small things- a missing teen or a kidnapped child. There’s never been a mass kidnapping. Are they getting cocky or something?

“It usually isn’t.” Bad agreed. “They usually stick close to the cities, because most towns only have one or two registered minors, if any. A dozen registered people doesn’t seem like much, but for a fairly remote town with no heroes it’s a treasure hoard for academies.”

That’s why his parents moved out here in the first place- less of a chance of one of them being taken away to an academy. Those taken are rarely found the same again.

“Alright so, they haven’t left for 2 reasons, maybe.” Skeppy summarized, butting in. “They’re either looking for these 2, or they don’t know who's registered, who isn't, and they don’t want to pick the wrong kids.”

“I think it’s the latter.” Bad nodded. “We should check out where the police found, um, Fundy.”

Tommy jumped up. “I’m coming with!”

“Me too!” Tubbo was right next to him, eyes already wide and ready to plead if need be.

“Let them work in peace, guys.” Phil said, before taking a single look at Tommy’s face and giving in. “If they’re okay with it. Do you guys want my number, so I can pick them up if they’re too much?”

Bad laughed, sounding much to jolly for the situation. “They’re fine, but yes, I’ll take that number, please.”

  
  


The clearing was covered in overgrown grass. Trees swung in the breeze and a creek weaved inconspicuously through. He wouldn’t have thought anything of the place if he didn’t see blood painting the grass red.

Skeppy and Bad looked around the place, ducking under the yellow police tape. After swearing that they wouldn’t touch anything, Tommy and Tubbo joined them.

“I don’t see anything here.” Tubbo raised a log off the group, letting it float in the air while he looked under it. He's surprised the heroes didn't berate him for using his powers in a public place. “The people who did this didn’t leave a trace.”

Tommy frowned, wanting to kick the dirt. This was a crime scene, though, he couldn’t mess with anything. He crossed his arms instead. “Crap!”

Why did everything have to be so hard?

_ He just wanted his family back… _

“No footprints, nothing left behind, no trail…” Bad frowned. “But Fundy was bleeding heavily, right?” He gestured to the grass, where a puddle of dry blood was. “So how did he get out here without leaving a trail of blood behind?”

“There’s no wheel tracks of any kind anywhere.” Skeppy added on, eyes narrowed. “Someone could’ve teleported him here, or flown him.”

“Those are rare powers.” Bad reminded. “And as far as the organization knows, only one person can teleport and only two or three people can fly." Because _ of course _ the organization documents the types of powers every registered has, even if they don't put a name to it. "That begs the question-  _ how _ did they bring Fundy out here?”

They couldn’t figure it out.

Tubbo suggested going to the hospital to check on Fundy, and the heroes took the idea in stride. When they arrived the nurses parted like the sea again, but Tommy thought it was much cooler when his mom did it compared to these two.

Who is he kidding, he found it  _ awesome _ both times.

“The drug tests came back.” The doctor had just finished explaining Fundy’s condition to Bad and Skeppy. While he was mostly healed, they wanted to keep him here for a few more days. “He had a dangerous amount of drugs in his system, but the most worrying one is the paralytic and a sleeping drug. The dosage is much too strong for someone of his age and body structure, and if they were just using it to move him around they went overboard. With the amount in his system, it’s possible to say that he’s been paralyzed for the entire week he’s been gone. Who knows the permanent damage that could do if there wasn’t a healer nearby. He might've never woken up.”

Well, that’s interesting. Tommy knows that people with powers are less susceptible to drugs- they would need more than the average human for it to affect them. Were these kidnappers thinking the same thing? Bad hummed in thought. “Has he said anything about his time in captivity?”

“Besides what I’ve already told you, no.” The doctor frowned, thinking. “He mentioned an asylum right before I came out here to speak to you, though.”

An asylum? Tommy isn't one for horror, but he knows his haunted houses. There was only one asylum close to town, and it was abandoned a long time ago. “I think I know where an abandoned asylum is.”

Tubbo frowned. “That one by the old hag’s house?”

“No, that’s just a shack on the side of the road, Tubbo.” Tommy rolled his eyes. “I know a real one. Come on!”

_ They had to be there. They were so close. _

  
  


They were not so close.

The abandoned asylum was just that- abandoned. From the look of it, no one had been there since it closed. Dust covered the shelves and floors, enough that they left footprints everywhere they went. There were no car tracks besides their own. The place was truly abandoned.

Tommy wanted to give up and  _ cry. _

_ Where were they?!?! _

“This is the only asylum near us!” Tommy pulled at his hair, trying to stop the tears. “They’re not here!”

_ He missed them… _

“Hey Bad.” Skeppy had a thoughtful frown on his face. “Something doesn’t add up.”

“So you noticed, too?” Bad tapped his chin, looking around. “He knew he was in an asylum, but he was on paralytics and sleeping drugs the entire time he was kidnapped.”

“So how would he know?” Skeppy continued, looking around. Tommy listened in, confused. “Unless they told him that that’s where they were, which would be a weird thing for a kidnapper to do.”

“He also thought he died.” Bad frowned. “Can drugs do that?”

“Not the kind he was on, I think.” Skeppy looked like he was on the verge of figuring something out. “Are there any registered mind powers in this area?”

“Besides mind control? No.” Bad blinked, realization crossing his face. “I know what you’re thinking. I don’t think it’s possible. And no one has illusionary powers around here either.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Tommy finally buts in, annoyed with not knowing.

“We’re trying to figure out if a registered villain had messed with your friend's head.” Bad explained. “Made Fundy think he was in asylum or think he was shot, when he actually wasn’t.”

“A mass hallucination, basically.” Skeppy supplied. “Because if that's true-”

“We can’t trust anything he says.” Tubbo whispered, wilting at the prospect. “It all could be just in his head.”

“Speaking of-” Bad brought out his phone. “I do want to ask about those head wounds again. They’re confusing.” He called someone and brought it to his ear. “Hello, this is-” He paused as the person on the other side started talking. "Can I get names?" As they continued speaking, Bad’s face got more and more solemn. “We’ll be right over.”

“What was that about?” Skeppy asked when Bad hung up. Bad looked upset, before he steeled his features and looked at Tommy, serious.

“I need you to call your mom, Tommy.” He said, walking towards the door. “They just brought two more missing kids to the hospital. They weren’t registered.”

Tommy's stomach clenched, and he shakenly brought out his phone, running back to the car with the others. There were still five missing. If the kidnappers were really just thinning out the herd, then that meant there was only one unregistered person left. If they got that person, if they found out…

He might never see his brothers again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay for anyone that’s watched Lucifer imagine that Skeppy is Lucifer and Bad is a nicer Chloe and that’s basically their superhero dynamic.


	12. Chapter 12

He didn’t have time to say goodbye.

More nurses crowded the room, and armed security started raising their guns. Sapnap  _ (George was dead) _ pulled him down and away from Eret. He was practically carried out of the room, since he couldn’t  _ stop looking- _

_ He was so close. _

_ Just a few more seconds… _

_ He was too late. _

His body seemed to be frozen. The tears had stopped, but so had everything else. He wasn’t even quite sure that he was breathing. He was dead weight and he didn’t care  _ he was too late- _

He doesn’t know when they left the gym, or when they made their way back to the exit. The safe rooms weren’t safe anymore, they were stranded with no way out.

Dream looked at his arm. The number of people left had dwindled down to 11- the number of checks left available was 5.

Only their checks were left. Dream grabbed his arm, over the box. The number went down to 4 and when he looked he saw that the box was checked. He sighed, leaning back against Sapnap, who was still practically carrying him.

_ George was gone. _

Something close to a wail tore through his throat, and he buried his face into his best friend’s shirt, trying his best to muffle his cries. Someone was holding him much too tight, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. His hair was wet with most likely tears, but he didn’t care about that either. He was dead.  _ He was dead. _

_ He failed them. He failed them both. _

He cried until he ran out of tears. Until his head hurt so much that he couldn’t think straight. Someone handed him water and he chugged the whole thing. Tears came back to his eyes, and he forced them away, because  _ he couldn’t fail again, he couldn’t. He had to get them out. He had to save them. _

“They didn’t have powers.” Wilbur whispered after a long bout of silence, tattooed arm in front of him. He stared at it. “They’re killing those without powers off. I don’t know why but…” He paused, holding Niki close. The other girl had stopped crying minutes before he had. She looked dead inside, eyes dull and face set in a permanent frown. She was breaking.

_ They all were. _

“We don’t know how much they know.” Techno continued his train of thought. “Have they figured out who has powers and who doesn’t? Do they know how many of us have powers? Because once they figure it out…”

Once they figure it out, those without powers are killed. Murdered. Dream resisted the urge to look at Niki. Out of the 5 here, he guessed that either 3 or 4 had powers- he  _ knew, _ though, that Niki had none. 

Wilbur was the only other one that confused him, since he had shown no unique ability of any sort. But if it was hereditary, or genetic, then Techno having powers would make it likely that he did too. And if they knew that, then there was no reason for their captors to not know that too.

He wished he could tell the others his thought process, but if they truly didn’t know then that would just be giving Niki away.

_ He hated this. Why! Why them why- _

Tears sprung into his eyes again and he blinked, vision going blurry. “Fuck hiding powers.” He hissed, anger replacing some of his grief. “The next time they come for us, we’re lighting them on fire and stabbing them with their own blood, got it?”

They all nodded, but Dream was looking at Sapnap and Techno in particular. The two most definitely noticed.

“There’s a key code on this door.” Niki finally spoke up, raising a finger to touch the lock. “6-digit. It’s the symbols from before. I tried putting them in the order they appeared on the pedestal, but it didn’t work.”

“There must be some other pattern then.” Sapnap whispered, voice hoarse and broken. He shifted, and Dream realized he was still hugging him. He didn’t comment on it. “It’s probably down here, somewhere. We could try and keep the box checked while looking."

No one wanted to get up, but the need to live overcame the feeling of grief. Dream’s sorrow was quickly turning into anger, anyway. He clenched his fist as they went through the hallway. Techno found another hallway behind a door, and they all started checking the doors in that area.

“Box is unchecked!” Wilbur called out. “I just used mine!”

“I used mine earlier.” Dream replied, trying to make sure everyone heard without drawing a ton of attention. “We have 3 left.”

“I’ll keep an eye on it.” Niki promised. “I’ll use mine next. We’ll try to keep it on until we leave, yeah?”

Dream knew it wouldn’t be that easy. It was nice to hope, though.

“Found a symbol!” Sapnap called out a few minutes later, taking out a piece of paper. “It’s the good symbol!”

They all reconvened, going into the room Sapnap found. It was bare besides one large map of the entire asylum, laid out in the middle of the room on a table.

“The symbols are on it.” Techno pointed out. He frowned. “They aren’t where they were in the actual building.”

He was right. The pedestal where they first found the symbols had the danger symbol √:|, on it. The exit symbol °-¶ was in the library, the safe room symbol /[]\ sat at the basement exit, ∆° the right way symbol, was at a random place on the 12th floor, the wrong way symbol {¥` was at the top floor by the number puzzle, and ¢*}, or the not helpful symbol, was on the elevator.

“What?”

“I’m guessing the code for the door is in here.” Wilbur mumbled, before his eyes widened. “How much have they been watching us?”

Dream frowned, mind connecting the dots. “What do you mean?”

“These are all places we’ve gone.” Wilbur said. “Puzzles we’ve done. The library, the elevator, the number pattern, even the pedestal. I don’t know what that one is-”

“The box, most likely.” Techno jumped in. “It has the exit, which has a code lock, so it would have the box as well, right?”

“Then is it in order of when we did each one?” Niki frowned, touching her arm. “I just rechecked the box.”

“I got the next one.” Sapnap murmured. “Would the black box be before or after the library and counting puzzle?”

“Well, we got it before, but we solved it after.” Dream shrugged. “I think it’d be after-”

“They unchecked it!” Sapnap cut him off, shouting. His friend clutched his arm, glaring at the tattoo on it. “That was less than a minute! Completely unfair!”

They were down to one last check, and based on what the captors were doing, they weren’t going to make it easy.

“Hurry.” Wilbur took out his paper with the symbols on it. “Everyone, write the pattern down. We make a break for the exit- whoever gets there first puts it in and waits for the others.”

They spend maybe a minute or so writing it down. In that minute, the box is unchecked again, and Techno has to use his check, the last one of the game.

They’re out of time.

Dream looked at the order of the symbols- √:|,°-¶, {¥`, ∆°, ¢*}, /[]\\. They looked random, when he first checked, but as he looked closer he remembered something.

The way they memorized it. Alphabetically, by first name. It took him a few minutes of mental gymnastics to remember who had what symbol, but in the end he’s pretty sure he got the order right. Fundy, George, Eret, Niki, Sapnap, Dream.

Fundy had died first, followed by George and Eret. Niki was next. Was that the killing order? Or was it just a coincidence?

“Do we all have it written down?” Wilbur waved his paper in the air. Dream caught the back of it, the symbols and their meanings written in Eret’s handwriting. He looked away.

“Yeah.” Sapnap looked down at his arm, which was still checked from Techno. Dream looked at his own. A big 5 and a smaller 0 looked back at him.

They were the last five left. There were no more checks left to use.

They had to hurry.

As a group they burst through the doors, sprinting out the hallway they were in and into the main hallway.

They’re waiting for them.

The nurses are a bit too late in jumping them, so the first three people of their group dive through, untouched. He’s at the back, though, with Niki. The nurses fall on them, grabbing at their arms and clothes until they’re stuck. Dream kicks and struggles and  _ fights _ before he’s suddenly behind his other friends, completely unharmed. His stomach flips like he’s in a roller coaster, and he pauses, realization flowing through him.

Did he… did he…  _ did he just teleport?! _

He can’t think about it anymore, because Niki’s screaming and the nurses are pulling her away. Security block their path to her, and Wilbur is shouting and yelling and so are the others and Niki’s crying again, terrified and  _ no no no he can’t let this happen not  _ **_again-_ **

There’s a tugging in his gut, and he’s suddenly behind the line of security, right next to the nurses holding Niki. He doesn’t hesitate, slamming a fist into one of the nurse’s faces. Their surprise makes them let go of Niki, and he grabs her arm, willing his body to work with him. The world shifts and he’s back with his friends, Niki by his side. They’re all staring- the guards too, because it’s obvious that he just used powers, but they’re so close he doesn’t  _ care- _ “Go!”

That kicks them into overdrive. They bolt for the door. Techno gets there first, putting in the code without even looking at the paper, because  _ of course _ he had memorized it. The door beeps and unlocks. Wilbur grabs the door handle and pulls it open.

He hears yelling behind him, hears the safety of guns being turned off. Dream doesn’t look back, pushing all of his friends through and jumping through the door with them.

He wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No it was not all a dream I am not that cliche.


	13. Chapter 13

The first thing he recognizes is pain.

There’s a dull ache in his head, and his brain is foggy- mushy, almost. He tries to move, tries to get up, but everything is dark and hazy and he can barely twitch his fingers. Where was he? W-What… what happened?

Something rubs against his fingers, something metal. Bindings? Was he strapped down to something? His senses were fuzzy, he couldn’t tell.

Hands brushed against his wrists and ankles, and the bindings were taken off. He somehow managed to get his eyes open, blinking blearily around.

_ Where were they?!? _

He and his friends (who were also waking up) were all strapped down to tables. Tubes and cables filled with  _ something _ went into their heads, a horrific Frankenstein looking experiment. They had several different IV's sticking out of their arms too. He would scream, but there was a gas mask over his nose and mouth. He yanked his head to the side, adrenaline sharpening his senses. The pain in his head soared, and he realized he had stuff digging holes into  _ his _ head too.

_ What the fuck?! _

Those hands released him from his bindings, taking the mask off and pulling the  _ things _ out of his head. He screamed, searing hot pain flashing through his body. His friends, who were now fully awake, struggled in their bounds, just as confused and panicked as he was. They pulled him up, almost carrying him. He struggled, much less sluggish than before.

What were they doing? Why were they- was it because he teleported in front of them?

_ Teleported… _

It hit him like a truck.

_ His memories. They were coming back. _

_ Fuck! _

He struggled harder.

The others were thrashing- shouting past their masks. He wondered if they remembered too. If they knew what was happening. He kind of hoped they didn’t.

He didn’t know if they all could handle even more panic.

_ The amount they had forgotten... _

Dream bit someone’s arm, and the man shouted, dropping him. He hit the ground hard, pain flaring through his body and head. He tried to get up, tried to reach his friends. Could he teleport them all? Has he done it before?

He has.

Before he could they were back on him, pulling his hands behind him. Dream looks towards the tables, stomach clenching when he sees three other empty tables, not including his own.

Fundy, George, and Eret.

But… but… what about the other kids? There was over 200 of them,  _ where were they? _

Sapnap is shouting bloody murder, eyes vicious. He yanks his body back and forth, not even seeming to notice how he pulled and moved the things in his head. The people around Dream start pulling him out of the room, and he panics more. He knows where they would take him- he didn’t want to go.

Someone screams. He smells burning cloth before he sees it. The back wall near Dream had burst into flames, snaking towards the men holding him like missiles. He glances at Sapnap, who is still struggling and he wonders if the boy had even realized what he did.

Then someone is pulling him towards them. Dream’s back hits someone’s chest and an arm wraps around his waist as another goes around his neck. The latter arm squeezes, and suddenly the blood to his head is cut off. His eyes widen, pain shooting down his neck from his damaged head. The others stop struggling as he weakly paws at the arm, face going red.

“All of you, calm down!” The man holding him says, squeezing tighter and Dream lets out a strangled cry, the pain from his head more damaging than the actual choking.

“No.” Wilbur had somehow pushed the mask off of his face, and was straining his neck to look his captor in the eye. He looked angry, like his stare could put him under the ground.  _ “Let us go,  _ **_now.”_ **

The room was quiet.

Then the men were moving. The grip around Dream’s neck disappeared as everyone inside the room worked on getting his friends out of their bindings. Dream watched in confused amazement before another memory came back to him.

Wilbur.  _ Wilbur could fuckin’ control people. That was his power. _

He pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his throat and forcing himself not to touch his open wounds. They weren’t bleeding, which Dream would find confusing if Techno wasn’t around. The senior was known to subconsciously block and clot wounds without even realizing he was doing it.

He had forgotten about that.

The others jerked and cried like he had when the tubes and cables were taken out, but they all seemed more prepared than him. Dream stared at the other men warily- the moment everyone was out the control would be over. If they called backup then they were screwed.

Sapnap was out first, and he almost fell on Dream in worry. “I- I remember-”

“Me too.” Dream held him tightly. “We have to get out.”

“I don’t-” The other senior sniffled, and from Dream’s angle he could see the puncture wounds and holes, going straight into his skull and beyond. They hadn’t shaved their hair, though, which means most wasn’t seeable past locks of hair. “I don’t want to go…”

“We won't have to.” He promised, turning to the others. Niki and Wilbur were out, Techno being the last one. He locked eyes with Wilbur and held out a hand. Wilbur’s eyes widened in realization. He whispered something to Niki (which made her hold onto his shirt) before grabbing Techno’s wrist with one hand and Dream’s hand with the other. Dream closed his eyes, forcing his mind to think of the outdoors, of nature and wind and green. His body was already hype tuned into this, and even though he had briefly forgotten that this was possible he still knew what to do.

The world flipped on him, and his head felt like it exploded, shooting red hot bullets of pain into his skull, ricocheting around until his eyes watered. When the numbness left his body he realized he was on the ground, grass brushing against his head and tickling his nose.

He sneezed.

_ He never knew he would miss nature so much. _

“Dream?” Sapnap came into his vision, his clothes contrasting against the gentle tones of the outside world. Dream groaned, eyes pulsing in pain. “Dream! Get up!”

He would if he could, trust him. Sapnap seemed to realize that at the same time. His friend curses under his breath, bending down to help him up. He wraps an arm around his waist and Dream has just enough strength to do the same around his neck. He’s  _ exhausted. _ “We have to go!”

“Where?!” Wilbur is frantic, looking around at the trees that surround them. “Where are we??”

“Somewhere we probably don't want to be.” Techno’s voice raised an octave. “We gotta get out of here!”   
With no clear way to go they just picked a direction and ran. Dream was obviously the broken wheel of the group, but Sapnap wouldn’t let him go and he wouldn’t let himself be the reason they got caught. They could hear people running after them from multiple directions. The sound of movement pounded in his ears, and his vision went white in pain. How were the others doing it?

It wasn’t long before a group of men found them. They weren’t armed with anything lethal, but Dream saw  _ needles _ and was instantly back in the asylum. He stumbled back, taking Sapnap with him.

There was a sickening crunch and the sound of choking. He turned to see blood whipping through the air, lashing out and cutting through the people blocking them. Techno panted, exhausted as well. It was the drugs in their system, most likely. The pumping blood had washed it out and was clearing his body, but it was still leaving behind marks.

The men all fell, leaving a clear path for them. Dream felt sick, from the running and the blood. Still, he and Sapnap jumped over the men, following the group.

It was the third time they ran into people that they got surrounded.

Techno was obviously out of juice, sweat coating his face and blood falling from his hairline, the wounds covered by hair. Dream felt his own wounds start bleeding and winced- he was so drained that he couldn’t subconsciously block the blood flow now. He wiped his forehead, his hand coming back blood red.

“Well would you look at that!”

Someone new came into the area, dressed in black and yellow and wearing a mask. He had the gait and posture of a villain, and Dream cursed the fact that he had forgotten everything in that asylum. Because, now that he remembers, it was starting to make a lot more sense.

_ They didn’t create their powers, they were trying to use them. _

“We knew we had caught at least 2 of you.” The villain continued, laughing and looking jolly, as if he didn't notice the state they were in. “But  _ 4? _ I wasn’t expecting that! Now, I’m not quite sure what they did to you, but there’s a healer at the academy, so-”

_ The academy. The academy! No! _

The place was a nightmare for all registered minors, no matter where you lived. If you were young enough to be enrolled then you were always in danger. Kids who go there never come back, and if you ever saw them again they weren’t the same. Broken, evil, dangerous. Villains.

_ He didn’t want to go. _

“Leave us alone.” His voice came out as a gasp more than a shout, his body runned down and ragged. The villain just laughed, and he saw electricity arch around his fingers.

“Don’t worry.” He grinned. “You’ll just  _ love _ it there!”   
The electricity shot out, bouncing from each one of his friends until it got to him. He heard screaming before it hit, and then everything was  _ gone blinding white pain firing through his nerves he couldn’t see couldn’t shout couldn’t breathe it hurt it hurt it hurt- _

Faintly, he heard laughing.


	14. Chapter 14

A nearby tree groaned, big and strong and sturdy. The tree shifted, leaves rustling, before the entire thing fell over. The electrical villain yelped, jumping out of the way. The electricity stopped, and Dream let out a ragged breath, slouching to the ground. His body felt numb, little pinpricks of pain poking at his skin.

“Dream!”

Was… was that…  _ Tubbo?! _

His body seemed to jumpstart at the idea that his little brother was nearby. He shot up, panic overriding his pain. The ground vibrated underneath him and an explosion lit up the forest a few yards away from him, engulfing a good portion of the people blocking their way. Another man in blue stepped out of the smoke, and Dream recognized that one.

He blinked and Tubbo was suddenly by his side, trying to pull him up. “How-” He sputtered, lost for words. “How- Skeppy- did  _ you _ knock over that tree?”

“Questions later, Dream!” Tubbo shouted, finally getting him up with help from Dream himself. He was still stuck on the fact that Tubbo was  _ here, _ and he had  _ knocked over a tree. _ He was so proud. “We got to go!”

The villain (who Dream started dubbing as ‘Electric’) had narrowly missed the explosion. His eyes met Skeppy across the way, and he grinned. “Skeppy! I’ve heard so much about you!” He laughed. “The trickster turned hero, hmm? Still following that empath around?”

Skeppy glared, hands sparking and lighting up, like he was combusting the air around him. He placed himself in between Electric and Dream’s group, standing his ground. “Nice to know I’m that popular.” He bared his teeth in a mock grin. “Too bad I’ve never heard of you before.”

Electric frowned, as if insulted. The electricity around his hands traveled up his arms and back down, sparking eagerly. “I guess I’ll just have to make you remember me.” His frown morphed into a grin. “Imagine the newsline. The great Skeppy, taken down by yours truly.”

Skeppy scoffed. “You wish. Feels like you’re projecting a little bit there, bud.” The ground rumbled under Electric, and he jumped away as the area he was just in exploded, causing a sinkhole. Skeppy turned to the teens. “Go!”

Tubbo pulled him away, towards the woods. Everything hurt, static brushing against him and stinging as he moved. A few men still left ran towards them, but as suddenly as they came they dropped to the floor, bloody puncture holes littering their body. Techno was now leaning on Wilbur for support, completely drained as well.

He doesn’t know how they still managed to run.

They’re only able to go for two or three more minutes before Dream collapses, taking Tubbo with him. The others follow suit, completely empty. The adrenaline had worn off and Dream doesn’t know how he was still awake. He’d rather drift off and never come back,  _ everything hurt. _

“Guys?” He heard a familiar voice, and Tubbo raised his head and shouted “Over here! We found them!” Seconds before Tommy came crashing through the underbrush, Phil and…  _ was that Badboyhalo? Well of course it is he and Skeppy are a duo  _ not far behind them. Tommy is on his brothers before anyone could stop him, talking a mile a minute and sounding both extremely relieved and worried. Wilbur was crying, holding onto Phil who was right behind his youngest son. Dream tried to get up, to better see the reunion, but he could barely control his body right now. He put a weak arm around Tubbo, and the boy complied immediately, falling into a hug.

“10 days.” He barely realized Tubbo had started crying too.  _ “10 days. _ Where were you?”

“I’m…” His voice was raspy and hoarse from screaming. “I’m… not sure.

“This is very sweet and all-” Skeppy jumped through the underbrush, favoring a leg as he walked. His hoodie was singed and his hair stuck up even more than normal. “-but we should  _ get out of here, _ before Electro-ball over there gets back up.”

Bad’s eyes widened. “You saw the electric villain?”

“Not the time!” Skeppy grabbed his partner’s wrist. Dream noticed that he had acquired a limp. “Alright kids, single file line back to the cars!”

Dream would if he could, but he’d needed help even trying to get up. Bad seemed to notice, making his way to his side and helping him up. Their group started back the way the others had come from, Skeppy a few yards behind them, watching for enemies in the woods.

“You guys got out on your own?” Bad asked him, and when all he did was grunt Bad took it as a yes. He raised his voice so the others could hear. “They need medical attention, but I have a feeling these guys won't let a hospital stop them from coming back.”

They would probably attack the hospital. The amount of causalities would be high- Dream didn't want that.

“My wife is a healer.” Phil spoke up. “We’ll take them to my house.”

Wilbur, who had calmed himself, seemed to cry harder at the thought of seeing his mother again. Niki, who was basically a part of that family at this point, shed a few tears as well. Techno was almost completely silent, half asleep and half stumbling besides Phil. Sapnap had taken it upon himself to stay near Tubbo, in case some more people appeared. Dream would have to thank him, later.

They were separated when they got into cars, and Dream rode with Sapnap and Tubbo with the heroes in the front seat. Skeppy was poking at an electric burn he had on his bicep, as if it wasn’t painful at all. He didn’t know much about the duo besides what he’s seen on tv, but he knew they confused most people. Bad was a model hero, but Skeppy was the exact opposite- he did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted no matter the consequence, he’d just pay for any damages he caused. He was a lot worse a few years back, but being around Bad seems to have calmed him down, as well as given him a conscience.

Dream sighed, slowly leaning back in the car. His head was a bloody mess, and he’d feel bad if he wasn’t so  _ exhausted. _ He was so far gone that even the pain was distant. Tubbo had laid down, using his lap as a pillow, and Sapnap was completely gone, leaning against his shoulder. His head buzzed, like it distantly knew that it  _ should _ be in indescribable pain but it just couldn't be bothered anymore.

He tried to relax- take relief in the fact that they were out, but he also knew better. This wasn't over, it couldn't be. They hadn't figured out exactly what happened- they hadn't gotten justice for their friends.

He wouldn't let this be over. Not yet.

He's come to learn a few things about himself- being able to sleep while terrified being one of them. Another wave of exhaustion swept over him and he was out.

When he woke up the pain had dulled to almost nothing and he was surrounded in something soft. Wide eyes stared down at him, as if scared that he'd disappear.

Feeling surprisingly good he sat up quickly, grabbing his brother in a bear hug. "Tubbo!"

Tubbo jolted, tensing before relaxing in his hold and laughing. He held him back, knuckles tight as if he was worried about him disappearing again. Something knotted up in his chest and he resisted the urge to lose it. Not here, not now. He doesn't know where he is exactly, but he was _ safe. _

The blonde let go, rubbing his head and hair. The holes were gone, healed over so well that they didn't even leave a mark. Someone had cleaned up the blood too, and Dream looked at Tubbo for an explanation.

"We're at Phil's." He said, and Dream relaxed. "Mrs. Kristen healed you all- the others might still be asleep. This is Tommy's room, Sapnap is in the guest room, if you wanna-"

He didn't get to finish, because everything started _ rushing back _ and he scrambled up, rushing out the door. He's been here enough times to know where the guest room was, but the minute it took for him to get there made him even more panicked, even more scared.

He already lost one best friend, he _ couldn't _ lose another.

Distantly he knew he was being stupid, knew he was safe, but the urge to be near him overran everything else. He was shaking by the time he got there, and he could hear someone crying inside.

The door slammed open, and Bad jumped, looking up from Sapnap, who was curled in a ball on the bed. He had a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Sapnap looked inconsolable. He looked up at the noise, locking eyes with Dream. A harsh sob tore through his throat as he turned towards him.

Dream didn't wait, jumping into the bed and almost clinging onto him. He'd be embarrassed if the other boy didn't do the exact same thing. They were both shaking and breathing heavy and he's sure he started crying but _ he was safe _ so it didn't matter _ he was here he was alive _ he buried his face into his hair _ I didn't fail them all. _

Half an hour passed before either of them calmed down enough to let go. Bad had left the room to give them some sort of privacy. Dream sniffled, looking around. "We made it." He said blankly, as if just realizing himself.

"We got out." Sapnap's eyes were glassy and dull, like a doll's. When he looked at him he shivered. "What… what happened?"

"I-" Dream clamped his jaw shut, frowning. His memories of the asylum were blurry, leaving behind only the sounds and emotions. The terror, the confusion, the sorrow, the  _ gunshot, _ the  _ sound of a snapping neck. _ He grimaced. "I'm not sure. It's- hazy."

He hated the thought that they were still messing with their memories, even once they escaped. Why couldn't they just be left alone?

One of their stomachs growled. Sapnap laughed softly. "I don't remember the last time I've had Mrs. Kristen's homemade meals." He said, shifting out of the covers. "Let's see if we can get some food."

They left the room cautiously, the way they would leave a safe room. He tiptoes over to the kitchen, disappointed when he finds it empty.

"Hi Dream." He jolts, jumping back. Kristen is standing at the door leading to the living room, smiling warmly. "I've set out a bit of food over here- you've been on IV for awhile, I don't want to upset your stomach just yet. Is that Sapnap behind you? Hello."

Sapnap had ducked behind him, startled by the new person, but Kristen's warm and soothing voice soon had him popping out. "Hi."

Her smile widened. "Come on, I made cookies."

Dream would absolutely _ kill _ for Kristen's cookies, any day of the week. His mind blanked and he followed her without a second thought.

Everyone else was already in the living room, watching the other three teens nibble on food. Bad and Skeppy stood in the corner, whispering to each other in soft murmurs. Dream barely noticed, because _ cookies. _

He sat down next to Tubbo, grabbing a cookie and biting into it. The thing was delicious, but his stomach revolted almost immediately. He held it, frowning.

"Don't eat too much or too fast." Kristen warned. "Your stomachs aren't used to solid food."

What? "But I ate, like, a day or two ago." Dream looked at her, confused. "They weren't starving us."

They all looked at him, even the heroes. "Do you remember what happened?" Bad asked. 

"Bits and pieces." He said. "There was an asylum, there were puzzles- they did experiments on us. Shot us full with needles, tried to shoot us in general-" he paused, voice dying.  _ "They shot Fundy." _

The mood in the room soured as the rest of the teens there froze, eyes widening as the scene was pulled back into the front of their minds. Niki whimpered, and Kristen was very quick to wrap her in a hug.

"They killed George and Eret too." Sapnap murmured, eyes full of tears again. Dream grabbed a water bottle, handing it over. "They hung George and shot Eret and we  _ couldn't stop them…" _

"Guys." Skeppy cut in before Dream really lost it, stepping forward. "They're not dead."

...what?

"He's right." Phil spoke up from where he was holding Wilbur. His voice was so  _ earnest _ that Dream knew he was telling the truth. "They're in the hospital. The police found them with the same injuries you had and Kristen healed them up. I promise they're fine."

...what? They're…

_ They're not dead. George is alive. They're all alive. _

_ He didn't fail them. _

Dream's hands covered his eyes as he sobbed in relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to figure out if I want to end it next chapter or go on for 5 more... ending it early just means I would have more time to focus on my other stories. I didn't expect this one to gain much attention (since I've never written this type of story before) and I happy it got as much praise as it did <3 the thing is if I go through with the 5+ chapters the ending will be bittersweet and I want it to end on a happy note. So yeah, we might be close to the end here...


	15. Chapter 15

He remembers it vaguely, now. What happened before the asylum. It wasn't a field trip. It  _ never _ was a field trip.

They had been hanging out, after school. The football team had an away game so they decided to snag the football field for themselves before any other group could. Besides a hidden spot in the woods, it was a favorite place of theirs to hang out. The openness of it all was great for running around and while they usually just laid around on the grass they could use the bleachers if need be. Most of them were finishing homework and talking to each other, eating the cookies Wilbur had brought, courtesy of Kristen. Dream, on the other hand, had a bone to pick with a certain someone.

"There's  _ no way _ you got a 91  _ before _ the curve, Techno!" Dream shouted, raising his hands. He and his own 88% sat angrily in the corner of getting the second highest Calculus grade.

Techno snorted, holding the famed paper up and flashing the grade written on it. "Looks like there is a way, cause I did."

"So you  _ somehow _ got a 99 on this test?" Dream's not only upset that he got the highest score, but his score messed with the curve, making it so it was only an 8 point boost. It left him with a 96,  _ pathetically low _ on his end. "What did you do?"

"I studied." Techno crossed his arms, a smirk curling on his face. "You should try it. Maybe then you'll get a better grade than me, once in a while."

"You-" he stomped up to him, face set in anger. Their other friends watched in amusement (or in George's case, annoyance). "Okay, well let's turn it on the other foot, huh? I got a soccer ball in my backpack, let's go."

Techno frowned, realization dancing in his eyes. "Is your ego really this damaged?"

Well, kind of, but it was a few other things as well. They were  _ very close _ to finishing school and graduating, which meant a few different things. One, they couldn't hang out with their younger friends as much. Two, George and Eret were going to a different college than the rest of them, so they couldn't see them as often. 

And three, the year hiatus. A hiatus all registered students have to take between high school and normal college to take classes at a hero's school. Instead of learning about math and history, they'll be learning about things like politics, hostage situations, first aid, and ethics. And don't get Dream wrong, he's  _ very _ excited for the year off, learning about new things and better practicing his powers, but-

But…

He'll miss his friends, he'll miss George. He'll miss his home town and he'll miss his brother. There's only one or two times a year that you can leave and visit family- it'd be like if Dream suddenly left with his parents on their 'business trips' (he's pretty sure they're superheroes, but he's not certain). He doesn't want to leave for so long without visiting other family and friends. And while he  _ will _ have Sapnap to give him company, Techno will  _ also _ be there and he doesn't know how good that will be for his health.

So yes, this was about his ego, but he also wanted to feel  _ normal _ again, if only for a second. He wanted to ignore the fact that graduation was so close, that he'd be separated from his friends because he was registered. He's brought up his feelings to both George and Sapnap, and while they understand they don't  _ feel _ the same way. Yeah they have phones and can text and call, but it won't be the same as finding an area and hanging out like they were right now.

He never says any of this out loud though. Not because they're around unregistered people and they shouldn't know- they told their friends long ago and they've all sworn secrecy. No, he never says it out loud because he doesn't want Wilbur to think about it. Because when Wilbur goes, he'll be doing the entire thing  _ alone. _

"My ego is perfectly fine." Dream scoffed, bending down and grabbing the soccer ball. "It sounds like your stalling, Techno."

The other senior huffed, setting down his backpack. "You're on."

"Not again." George groaned from the sidelines. "There's a test in physics tomorrow and Dream you have a game later today! There's better things for you  _ both _ to be doing!"

They looked at each other, before looking back at George. Yeah, they really did have better things to be doing.

But just a few minutes of being normal. Of acting like the world isn't going to change in a few months. "First to score wins."

"You're on."

George groans, slapping his face with his palm.

"How fun."

Their entire group pauses, turning towards the new voice. A man dressed in yellow and black walks up to them, all alone but looking very cocky. It was obvious by his clothes that he was a villain.

Later, Dream would start calling him Electric. He knows now that that wasn't the first time he's ever seen the man.

Instantly he's on guard, as are the others. They recognize him for what he is, and they can guess why he's here.

There's been multiple occurrences of people showing up in town, walking up to their group and asking if they've seen anything 'strange'. A random fire, a kid teleporting, someone flying. They were, of course, asking after registered people, and each time without a doubt his group would act as dumb as a brick and pretend not to know the answer to 2 + 2. That usually worked, and the people would walk away, never knowing that the people they were looking for were in that group at all. 

Because his friends know about the academy, they know the danger of a registered being caught. It's why they were sworn to secrecy, a secrecy that's never been broken.

Even in the asylum, he thinks. It stayed, that secrecy, even when they couldn't remember the oath itself.

They've never had to deal with an actual _ villain _ before, though. He's never seen his group move so fast- he would've thought they planned it, without letting the registered know. George and Eret were pulling him and Techno back into the group, not hiding them (since that would be obvious) but keeping them out of the front. Niki was next to Wilbur in such a way that made  _ her _ a target instead of him, and Fundy sat between them, a few inches in front of Sapnap.

He'd be proud if he wasn't terrified by their  _ idiocracy. _ What were they going to do against a villain?! He wasn't about to let his friends get hurt for him, no matter how much they tried to protect him.

Electric raised his hands in mock peace. "Calm down, kids, calm down! Look, I'm not gonna hurt you- I just have some questions."

Questions? They were used to questions, they could deal with questions. 2 + 2 equals Australia and all that. "What questions?"

"Well-" Electric leaned in, and George grabbed his arm harshly, squeezing it three times. That was usually a code word- meaning George wanted him to teleport. Teleport out, maybe? Well, he could, but 8 people would be too much for him to teleport far enough away to be safe. He could just teleport the registered people but that would be a dead giveaway and he's  _ not _ leaving the others behind to fend for themselves anyway. "-I have very good intelligence that tells me at least  _ two _ of you rats are registered. You tell us who, and we leave the rest of your friends alone."

_ Well shit. _

Looking back on it, Dream wished he  _ did _ teleport. If he had teleported them all out of the stadium, they could've run for it- maybe one or two of them would've gotten away safe and sound. Dream would've been dead on his feet and he'd gladly give himself away as bait, which could've saved a few more of them as well. He should've teleported,  _ he should've. _

"Of course we aren't going to tell you!" Fundy cuts in before anyone else can. "We aren't gonna just rat out our friends! Who do you think we are?!"

"People with sense." Electric murmured, taking a step closer. Techno tensed, and Dream wondered if he was going to go for it. "Alright, well, we needed more test subjects anyway."

He snapped his fingers, and men started crowding the stadium. Even though it was still light outside, the stadium lights flickered on and off, the same way Electric's hands twitched with electricity. The man raised an arm and it bounced to the ground.

_ Pain. Straight up  _ **_agony._ **

He screamed, muscles tensing and flexing, causing him to crash to the ground and flail uncontrollably. The men, unaffected, walked forward. Half of them paused, gurgling as they started to choke on their own blood. The other half fell to the ground and blood spikes pierced through their bodies. The only one left unphased was Electric, too far away.

The man sighed. Suddenly there was  _ more _ and Dream couldn't see past the  _ white hot pain. _ By the time the villain stopped he couldn't move if he wanted to. A few seconds passed, and then someone was picking him up, sticking a needle into his neck.

"Clean this up, and be quick about it." Electric came into his field of view, talking to more men that appeared on the field. "Don't want to stir up more suspicion, you know? Hurry up!"

Whatever was in those drugs took hold, and his fingers went numb. His eyelids grew heavy, and even though his heart was beating loudly in fear the rest of his body and mind were already gone.

  
  


"I remember a bit after that, too." Dream continued, hands laced together in his lap. "I remember them strapping us down to tables, I remember them putting in the IV's. I remember them plugging the… things into our heads. Well, the first one, at least. Then it all got fuzzy and we woke up in the asylum."

"Wait." Wilbur spoke up, confused. "If we started this entire shitshow strapped to those tables and ended it like that, then how-?"

He understood the question. How did they end up at the asylum? Speaking of, as far as he remembers _ his group _ was the  _ only _ group of people kidnapped, so what about those other two hundred kids?

Skeppy sighed. "It wasn't real."

...what?

"What?" Sapnap copied him, eyes narrowing. "Felt pretty damn real to me."

Skeppy shared a glance with Bad. "We've known for a few months now that the  _ other _ organization is working on devices to better handle heroes with mind powers- powers that deal with control, trickery, telekinesis, empathy, those kinds of things. We've also rescued a victim of one of these devices. They said they had been in the Bahamas, even though they had been in the same room for three weeks."

"So the other kids in there." Niki spoke up, voice small. "They… they weren't… real?"

"The only kids that have gone missing in this area are, or were, you eight." Bad confirmed.

"Yeah!" Tommy cut in, suddenly angry as he turned to Wilbur. "They kept saying you were missing but I  _ knew  _ that wasn't it! And then these guys in suits started chasing me, Wilbur! They went after Tubbo too! He's been staying with us- oh yeah, Dream, your house is kinda trashed."

He'd be annoyed if he wasn't suddenly worried. He turned to Tubbo. "They didn't hurt you or anything, right?"

His younger brother beamed up at him. "Nope! They couldn't catch us!"

"Well, they almost caught me." Tommy grumbled. "But I hid and went invisible and then found Tubbo!"

"So you were the only person who  _ didn't _ think we were just missing?" Techno asked, smiling when Tommy nodded. "You're smarter than I give you credit for."

"Hey!"

"We still have a problem." Phil spoke up, and the tone shifted again. "They aren't just going to leave them alone- especially now that they know  _ who _ is registered. Dream, Techno, and Sapnap can go on their year hiatus and be safe afterwards but Wilbur and Tommy and Tubbo…"

No one had an answer for that. Dream himself was still stuck on something- something he couldn't quite place.

Bad seemed to notice. "You okay, Dream?"

No, of course not.

"I still don't get it." Dream finally confessed, looking at the hero with confused eyes. "Why would they do all that? They created a  _ hellscape _ for what? Why?"

Bad's face fell, and he looked reluctant. Skeppy hummed and stepped in, seemingly unworried. "My theory? It was to break you. It's easier to mold someone after they've already been broken down."

Bad flinched at his blunt words, as did Dream. It was Wilbur who spoke next though. "By watching our friends die… they took away our hope." His voice was soft and he sounded like he was on the verge of breaking down. "They could send us to the academy ready to be brainwashed."

"Did- did they do that to the other kids?" Niki whispered, eyes wide in horror. She knew registered kids had to be careful, but living through it herself was no comparison. "They torture them before sending them away?!"

"We… don't know." Bad sighed, shoulders slumping. "We've never been able to get into an academy and scout it out. They're like fortresses."

"Tell me about it." Skeppy muttered, crossing his arms. "I've been to one, once. Had a villain dad and a hero mom- they didn't really know where to send me. We visited, but mother was pretty against it."

Sapnap gaped, eyes wide. Dream didn't blame him- after knowing what happened to his own parents. "Your dad wanted to  _ send you there?!" _

"It's different when you're a legacy." Skeppy shrugged. "You don't fight and you want to learn, so they don't use any of those tactics on you."

It was quiet for a second. “I want to see the others.” Dream spoke up.

Phil frowned. “They might still be after you. If they are, they’ll be watching the hospital.”

“That’s on the police and the heroes.” Dream gave them a pointed look. “It doesn’t involve me at all.  _ I _ want to see my friends, who I thought were  _ dead _ an hour ago.”

Phil sighed, looking at the others. Bad nodded and Skeppy shrugged. Phil stood up. “Okay, yeah, lets go check in on them. They’re probably worried about you guys, too.”

  
  


It took 20 minutes to not just get there, but to get them to let them in. The police were called- Dream doesn’t know if one of the heroes did it or a nurse, he didn’t care either way. All that mattered was his friends.

Due to security worries based on the case, they were all sharing a secured room. Even though they were completely healed, the police didn’t want to take the risk and let them go home, where they’d be less protected. They still didn’t know what was going on, they didn’t want to take a chance.

So when Dream opened the door, he saw all three of them, sitting at a table pushed into the corner. George was the first one to look over, and his eyes widened when he saw him. “Dream!”

Dream’s never moved so fast. He might’ve teleported, for all he knows. One moment he was at the door and the next he was hugging his best friend because he was  _ alive _ he was  _ alive _ he  _ made it _ they  _ all made it _ he didn’t  _ fail _ him he was  _ alive- _

Suddenly someone else fell into their hug, and Sapnap was crying, sobbing almost, and he’s sure he and George were doing the same. It didn’t matter though, they were all  _ safe _ everyone was  _ safe _ the academy  _ lost- _

He heard Wilbur cry, heard Fundy grunt as he tackled him in a hug. Niki jumped on Eret, sobbing as well. While Dream didn't see Techno, he knew he was close.

They were all  _ there. _

_ They had all made it. _

They stayed in that position for a long time, just soaking in the fact that everyone was  _ alive. _ That everyone was  _ safe. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I ended early some of the mindfuckery will never be solved *cues evil laugh* but I also thought it’d be better to leave it with this nice ending instead of the bittersweetness I had cooking up (they were gonna infiltrate an academy and break everyone out, but get messed up in the process basically). Either way, I hope you enjoyed <3


End file.
